UK weather – Five flood alerts as rain batters Britain today before -8C Arctic PLUNGE
BRITS are set to be hit with heavy downpours and gusty gales this week before temperatures plummet to -8C.
The country is battening down for a wet and windy week ahead of an icy Arctic plunge as three new flood alerts have been issued across the southwest from today.
Met Office forecasters are predicting dull and dreary days before the brutal drop in temperature heading into next week, with London temperatures lower than Scotland.
While mild spots are expected across the UK, with London and Edinburgh peaking at 10C, the sudden plunge will leave people feeling the chill this weekend.
The big freeze will hit the whole of the UK from Wednesday onwards with temperatures dropping as low as 0C in London.
The Met Office added that gusty winds are also expected to ravage the South.
Frost and freezing fog are predicted across the nation for the end of the week, causing severe disruption for commuters, a spokesperson for The Met Office said.
Annie Shuttleworth a Met Office forecaster said: "It will be a largely cloudy day across the UK on Monday as rain and mild air pushes eastwards throughout the day.
"Further west, in central and western areas, quite a cloudy night with outbreaks of rain and drizzle across western areas. That could be quite persistent on Monday morning, with some hill snow in the far north of Scotland.
"We're in for some drier weather, but some colder nights and some foggy nights too."
Further predictions from the Met Office say January will experience unsettled conditions with colder temperatures coming and snowfall in the north.
Brits should enjoy the mild January while they can, as temperatures are set to plummet to -8C for up to a whole week.
Today is also the 40th anniversary of the lowest recorded UK temperature of -27.2C in Aberdeenshire.
January 10, 1982, also set a new English record of -26.1C in Newport, Shropshire.