Weather UK forecast LIVE – Temperatures to soar today after last night was coldest April in several DECADES

Long range forecast for April

Looking to Thursday April 7 - Saturday April 16, the Met Office said: "To end the week and through the weekend, it is likely to be cold in the north with wintry showers. Further south, weather systems coming in from the southwest will bring more prolonged spells of rain and strong winds.

"There is a risk of snow at times on the northern edge of the bands of rain, this mainly across central and northern areas. Widespread frosts are expected in the north, with some icy patches likely. In southern areas, temperatures will be nearer to average, locally rather warm.

"Into the following week, it will likely remain unsettled, but with the focus for the heaviest rain and strongest winds moving towards the north and west of the UK, allowing some drier interludes in the southeast."

Met Office's predictions for this week

Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge told the : "A wetter and windier day round there and we could see some strong, possibly gale-force winds around Scotland.

"More unsettled weather is set to hit most of Britain from Monday to Wednesday, with widespread rain and wind expected.

"That's the difficulty with spring and its peaks and troughs," Mr Partridge added.

Weather until mid-April

Until Friday 15 April, further unsettled conditions are expected to arrive later in the week. Most areas will see spells of rain or showers, potentially wintry on high ground at times.

“Periods of drier and more settled weather are still possible, but more short-lived than recently,” the Met Office reports. 

“Showers may be heavy at times, with hail and thunder possible. Strong winds are also likely at times, mainly in the north and the west, with temperatures generally near or slightly above average.”

Temperatures are set to rise on Monday

Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud told  temperatures are set to rise on Monday as the Arctic air system moves away.

He said: “It’s generally dry and cold, if not slightly less cold than we have had for the next few days.

“We’ve got an Arctic air flow established at the moment, that’s coming from a cold source.

“So we’ve basically got cold, clear air established across the UK.

“There’s also a lot of clear and sunny skies, especially to the western parts of the UK.”

However, the UK is bracing for more freezing weather later in the week, with many northern areas set to be battered by rain on Tuesday.

Scotland will brace for snow on Wednesday as showers is forecast to hit other parts of the country.

Keeping temperatures up and bills down

AS ENERGY costs rise, many of us are trying to resist the temptation to crank up the heating.

There are several cost-effective ways to stay warm this winter that will not increase your bill.

Here are some of the simplest.

• ELECTRIC DREAMS: Use an electric blanket to heat your bed before you get in it.
• DUVET DAY: A thicker duvet will keep you toasty.
• LAYER UP: Instead of walking around your home in a T-shirt, turn down the heating slightly and pull on a jumper and socks.
• DRESS DOWN: It is the perfect excuse to get into your PJs early.

Brits brace for -3C icy plunge with MORE cold weather

BRITS are braced for freezing temperatures as low as -3C as even MORE cold weather is expected next week.

Tim Dale, meteorologist for British Weather Services, told : “There is no sign yet of any return to the warm and sunny weather that we saw at the end of March.

“Temperatures will move back towards average at the start of the week, but this will be accompanied by more unsettled conditions from the Atlantic.

“Winter can always bite back at this time of year, and well into April. It is going to turn colder again towards the end of the week, and there will be the risk of further snow.”

The Met Office said the weather will be cloudy with rain on Monday, particularly in the west many while eastern areas will be dry with some brightness.

UK weather outlook for Tuesday and Wednesday

Patchy light rain and drizzle for most on Tuesday, with more persistent rain in the afternoon, especially for Northern Ireland, northern England and Scotland. Cloudy for most. Moderate winds.

Showers for most on Wednesday but with persistent, heavy rain for Scotland. Some sun for southern England

April odds on being the coldest on record

Leading bookmaker Coral makes this April odds on, at 4-5, to be the coldest the UK has ever recorded.

It is now 2-1 on this summer being the UK's coldest too.

"We're waking up to frost on the ground each morning of spring so far and we now make this April odds on to enter the record books as our coldest ever," said Coral's Harry Aitkenhead.

"This summer could be a cold one, with our book now reading 2-1 on it being the coldest we have ever endured," added Aitkenhead.

• 4-5 this April to be the coldest since records began
• 2-1 this summer to be the coldest since records began

The Met Office four-day forecast for the South West

Tonight:
Skies clouding over through the first part of the night as wet and windy weather spreads across most parts through the early hours. Staying frost-free. Minimum temperature 4 °C.

Monday:
A cloudy, blustery and damp day for many. Although temperatures may be slightly higher than recent days, it will not feel it in the wind and rain. Maximum temperature 13 °C.

Outlook for Tuesday to Thursday:
Staying mostly cloudy with blustery winds and some rain at times, perhaps turning persistent on Thursday. Temperatures generally around average for the time of year, but colder on Thursday.

Cost of living could get pricier

The head of Octopus Energy has warned energy prices could rise even further in the winter.

Greg Jackson told LBC: "Global energy prices is one of the most volatile markets and so it's a fool who will make a strong prediction.

"But what we do know is that the next energy price cap period is being set by the prices we're seeing now, because there's a sort of lag in the system.

"So unless there's a very rapid fall in the global prices, energy costs for people in the UK will stay high over the winter. They could even be higher. We just don't know.

"But of course we're now in a situation where there are two factors that really make a difference.

"First one is whether there are any more strategic moves related to Russia, whether the gas taps get turned down or not. And the second is what the weather does.

"Essentially, what matters now is Europe going to be filling its gas storage because we've got mild weather? Or is it going to be emptying it because we've got bad weather?

"So depending on the weather between now and the winter, there could be a very big difference in energy prices in the next few months."

Thank you for reading my coverage today.

My colleague Joe Gamp will be back with you from 8am tomorrow.

Making sure you get a good night’s sleep despite the weather

You don’t have to run up the heating bill, or shiver through the night, as there are a few simple ways that will guarantee the best sleep ever.

Fabulous spoke with  sleep expert, Dr Nerina Ramlakhan who revealed some affordable and fun ways that’ll help your family stay warm and sleep well.

Dr Ramlakhan said: “You might think you are taking every step to make sure you are getting a good night’s sleep, but so many people neglect the most obvious thing – their sleep environment.

“We need to feel comfortable in order to drift off into a deep and restful sleep, and a big part of this is the temperature of the room we’re going to sleep in.”

Here are some tips that will help you doze off and rest well…

• Wear fluffy gloves in bed
• Invest in ‘teddy fleece’ bedding
• Hug a microwaveable wheat bag

Keeping temperatures up and bills down

AS ENERGY costs rise, many of us are trying to resist the temptation to crank up the heating.

There are several cost-effective ways to stay warm this winter that will not increase your bill.

Here are some of the simplest.

• ELECTRIC DREAMS: Use an electric blanket to heat your bed before you get in it.
• DUVET DAY: A thicker duvet will keep you toasty.
• LAYER UP: Instead of walking around your home in a T-shirt, turn down the heating slightly and pull on a jumper and socks.
• DRESS DOWN: It is the perfect excuse to get into your PJs early.

Temperatures are set to rise on Monday

Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud told  temperatures are set to rise on Monday as the Arctic air system moves away.

He said: "It's generally dry and cold, if not slightly less cold than we have had for the next few days.

"We've got an Arctic air flow established at the moment, that's coming from a cold source.

"So we've basically got cold, clear air established across the UK.

"There's also a lot of clear and sunny skies, especially to the western parts of the UK."

However, the UK is bracing for more freezing weather later in the week, with many northern areas set to be battered by rain on Tuesday.

Scotland will brace for snow on Wednesday as showers is forecast to hit other parts of the country.

Brits brace for -3C icy plunge with MORE cold weather

BRITS are braced for freezing temperatures as low as -3C as even MORE cold weather is expected next week.

im Dale, meteorologist for British Weather Services, told : "There is no sign yet of any return to the warm and sunny weather that we saw at the end of March.

"Temperatures will move back towards average at the start of the week, but this will be accompanied by more unsettled conditions from the Atlantic.

"Winter can always bite back at this time of year, and well into April. It is going to turn colder again towards the end of the week, and there will be the risk of further snow."

The Met Office said the weather will be cloudy with rain on Monday, particularly in the west many while eastern areas will be dry with some brightness.

Weather until mid-April

Until Friday 15 April, further unsettled conditions are expected to arrive later in the week. Most areas will see spells of rain or showers, potentially wintry on high ground at times.

"Periods of drier and more settled weather are still possible, but more short-lived than recently," the Met Office reports. 

"Showers may be heavy at times, with hail and thunder possible. Strong winds are also likely at times, mainly in the north and the west, with temperatures generally near or slightly above average."

The Met Office five-day forecast for the South West

Today (Sunday):
A mostly sunny morning after a chilly start. Turning somewhat cloudier through the afternoon with one or two showers possible. Mostly light winds though turning breezier later. Maximum temperature 11 °C.

Tonight:
Skies clouding over through the first part of the night as wet and windy weather spreads across most parts through the early hours. Staying frost-free. Minimum temperature 4 °C.

Monday:
A cloudy, blustery and damp day for many. Although temperatures may be slightly higher than recent days, it will not feel it in the wind and rain. Maximum temperature 13 °C.

Outlook for Tuesday to Thursday:
Staying mostly cloudy with blustery winds and some rain at times, perhaps turning persistent on Thursday. Temperatures generally around average for the time of year, but colder on Thursday.

Long range forecast for April

Looking to Thursday April 7 - Saturday April 16, the Met Office said: "To end the week and through the weekend, it is likely to be cold in the north with wintry showers. Further south, weather systems coming in from the southwest will bring more prolonged spells of rain and strong winds.

"There is a risk of snow at times on the northern edge of the bands of rain, this mainly across central and northern areas. Widespread frosts are expected in the north, with some icy patches likely. In southern areas, temperatures will be nearer to average, locally rather warm.

"Into the following week, it will likely remain unsettled, but with the focus for the heaviest rain and strongest winds moving towards the north and west of the UK, allowing some drier interludes in the southeast."

Met Office's predictions for this week

Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge told the : "A wetter and windier day round there and we could see some strong, possibly gale-force winds around Scotland.

"More unsettled weather is set to hit most of Britain from Monday to Wednesday, with widespread rain and wind expected.

"That's the difficulty with spring and its peaks and troughs," Mr Partridge added.

Last night was coldest night in April so far

Temperatures are to soar today after some parts of Britain experienced their coldest April night for several decades.

Weatherquest meteorologist Dan Holley said on social media that it was the coldest night in April in the Northfolk region since 2013.

Santon Downham, near the Norfolk-Suffolk border, recorded lows of -5.7c and Cavendish in south Suffolk dropped to -5c.

Despite the freezing night, temperatures are expected to quickly recover and climb to 10c today.

UK weather outlook for Tuesday and Wednesday

Patchy light rain and drizzle for most on Tuesday, with more persistent rain in the afternoon, especially for Northern Ireland, northern England and Scotland. Cloudy for most. Moderate winds.

Showers for most on Wednesday but with persistent, heavy rain for Scotland. Some sun for southern England

Tomorrow's forecast

An overcast start for all tomorrow with rain affecting most areas, which will be heavy for western Scotland.

In the afternoon, the rain will turn lighter and will become more patchy and showery.

The rain will clear from southern England, but will persist in other areas. A strong westerly breeze.

Tonight's weather

The rain will push southwards through the evening, continuing for Scotland and Northern Ireland and moving into northern England and the rain will become heavy for western Scotland.

By the early hours of the morning, the rain will have covered all parts of the country. A strong westerly breeze.

April odds on being the coldest on record

Leading bookmaker Coral makes this April odds on, at 4-5, to be the coldest the UK has ever recorded.

It is now 2-1 on this summer being the UK's coldest too.

"We're waking up to frost on the ground each morning of spring so far and we now make this April odds on to enter the record books as our coldest ever," said Coral's Harry Aitkenhead.

"This summer could be a cold one, with our book now reading 2-1 on it being the coldest we have ever endured," added Aitkenhead.

• 4-5 this April to be the coldest since records began
• 2-1 this summer to be the coldest since records began