UK snow maps have turned an icy blue as the country braces for a bitter cold, with mid-autumn turning distinctly wintry in some parts of the country.
Millions of Britons will have felt the arrival of a brisk, cold wind, with the mercury plummeting several degrees following what was, until recently, a comparatively balmy November. Temperatures throughout most of the nation have descended into the low to mid single-figure range, and will only drop further still in the days to come, maps suggest.
The latest maps from WXCharts show that a vast area of low pressure is en route to the UK from the Arctic Circle, and could push the mercury even lower. The charts suggest that some parts of the country could see temperatures drop into the minus range for the first time since winter 2023 ended.
Minimum temperature maps show the cold spell primarily affecting northern England and Scotland as it arrives from the north, with the lowest lows predicted to hit the coast of the Highlands. The mercury hits -4C on November 19, with -2C and -1C to the west of Inverness.
Parts of the country to the south will see comparatively low temperatures, with 0C predicted around Fort William and Glencoe and in Edinburgh and Newcastle. Temperatures will go no higher than 7C throughout the rest of the day, the maps suggest, with the west coast of Wales and England being the warmest.
Otherwise, minimum lows are expected to hover around 1C and 2C, WXCharts predicts, with the highest chances of snow in northernmost Scotland, around Ullapool and beyond. Elsewhere, the maps point towards November being largely rainy, continuing the damp trend that was established in late October.
Those prospective wetter periods also appear on the Met Office long-range forecast, which states that, between November 13 and 22, high pressure will guide clouds towards the UK and raise the chances of "showers or longer spells" of rain. The forecast adds that northern and eastern parts of the country will bear the brunt of "unsettled conditions".
It states: "High pressure from early in the week is likely reducing its influence during the middle of next week, though to an uncertain degree. Likely turning cloudier again across many areas with a chance of showers or longer spells, most probable in parts of the north and east. Southwestern areas have the greatest chance of maintaining largely dry conditions.
"Temperatures around average but with a greater chance of mild conditions in the northwest and below average temperatures in the southeast. During next weekend and into the following week there are signs that the influence of high pressure will decline to the west.
"This means northern and eastern areas remain most likely to see more unsettled conditions. This also increases the likelihood of a spell of northerly winds and colder conditions."