Met Office forecasts -5C deep freeze as every inch of UK sees temperature plunge

Despite temperatures soaring to 26C this week, the Met Office says the mercury could soon plummet well below 0C. The national weather agency’s forecast today said temperatures overnight on Tuesday could plummet as low as -5C in northern areas and -1C in southern areas. On Wednesday overnight lows of -3C are possible across the country. The Met Office expects daytime temperatures to peak at 18C on Tuesday before tumbling to 15C on Wednesday - a far cry from the sizzling sun we have experienced in recent days. Temperature anomaly maps for Tuesday show huge areas of blue across Scotland , Northern Ireland, North Wales, northern England and eastern areas. This indicates where temperatures will be far lower than is expected for this time of year. The GFS weather model shows the highest temperature in the entire country could be just 8C on Wednesday morning. This represents a significant drop off from this week across every part of the UK. The Met Office forecast for Tuesday to Thursday says conditions will be “turning cooler for all as northerly winds set in across the UK”. We can expect “some showers at times”, although “these [will be] lighter and fewer than the weekend”. The BBC forecast states: “On Tuesday, much of the UK will be dry with variable cloud, but there will be showers in the south-west and parts of the north. “Wednesday is expected to be generally cloudy with a few scattered showers in the far north and across the west. Thursday looks to bring further showers to northern and western areas, while the east remain mostly dry with some sunny spells. Windier.” Thankfully, the Met Office expects temperatures to return to around average later this month. Its forecast for May 7 to May 16 says "a changeable theme" is likely with most places set for "some rain or showers at times, but also some drier, brighter weather". The forecast adds: "The emphasis on wetter conditions may be more towards the south and east at first, with low pressure perhaps more likely towards the south or east of the UK, before shifting further north later in the period as low pressure becomes more likely to set up to the north or northeast of the UK. "After a cold start to the period, especially in the north, temperatures are likely to return to around average later."