WINTER STORM ALERT Britain to be battered by gale force winds, snow and -11C freeze as Arctic blast ushers in winter

BRITAIN is on winter storm alert with bitter gales, snow and minus 11 temperatures forecast in the days ahead.

Parts of the country are about to be plunged back into the freezer as bitter winds sweep in from the Arctic.

REUTERS

People wear ponchos as they shelter from the rain in London and forecasters predict more rain is on the way

ALAMY

A man braves the colder temperature in Flintshire, Wales and bitter winds are expected to hit the country by the end of the week

It will follow a mild but stormy start to the week with coastal and exposed regions braced for torrential downpours and gales.

Showers will turn wintry across Scotland, Wales and northern, central and parts of southern England by Friday.

Experts blame a change in the wind direction driven by a deep area of low pressure building to the north of the UK.

Southerly breezes responsible for temperatures of 15C at the start of the week will be shoved away by bitter Arctic winds on Wednesday and into Thursday.

Jim Dale, forecaster for British Weather Services, said Polar air will cover much of the country by the weekend.

He said: “It is going to turn colder again and there will certainly be a few sleet of snow showers to lower levels as things unfold from Wednesday onwards.

“The cold air will envelope the whole country and everywhere will feel cold from Friday in the wind.

“The next cold snap looks likely to last a few days, it is uncertain at the moment how long it will hang around and this depends on what happens in the Atlantic from the start of next week.

“But this is definitely another thrust of Polar air which could cover the country for three days or so.”

Temperatures are forecast to hit -11C over high ground overnight in Scotland by the weekend with lows of -8C to -1oC around the region.

Elsewhere, it is expected to dip to -1C with much of southern England hovering around freezing.

Weather models show daytime temperatures of between freezing and 4C across the north with the south struggling to get much above 9C.

It will bring a stark change from the start of the week as temperatures are likely to hit 15C in the south tomorrow and 13 or 14C on Wednesday.

The Met Office said severe gales and heavy rain threaten exposed regions over the next few days before things turn more wintry.

SWNS:SOUTH WEST NEWS SERVICE

Heavy rainfall and fog caused difficult driving conditions for vehicles this morning on the M55 near Kirkham, Lancs

SWNS:SOUTH WEST NEWS SERVICE

The bad weather is set to continue throughout the week with the rain expected to get heavier on Wednesday

Spokesman Grahame Madge said: “The general picture is that it will turn colder by the end of the week, it will also be windy with the risk of localised gales and even severe gales in exposed regions.

“A band of rain moves across the country on Wednesday and showers could be heavy and squally.

“In northern area the showers could be heavy and there is the risk of thunder with showers turning wintry over high ground in Scotland.

“Thursday is looking unsettled with the risk of hail and thunder and showers falling as snow over high ground in the north.

“Hail and thunderstorms will be the dominant theme for the rest of the week with the potential for snow over high ground.

“Showers will increasingly turn wintry with snow over northern hills and perhaps to lower levels later in the week, merging into longer spells of rain, sleet and snow at times.”

WeatherOnline forecaster, Garry Nicholson warned to expect a dramatic drop in temperatures towards the end of the week.

He said: “It will be a very mild start to the week as south-westerly winds affect the country, but a subtle change of pattern from mid-week onward will see our air originate from Greenland, bringing a marked drop in temperatures.

“Showery conditions developing, with snow falling to increasingly low levels in the north.”