London weather: When will capital see first autumn cold snap as temperatures to plunge to 3C

London weather: When will capital see first autumn cold snap as temperatures to plunge to 3C

London is set for its first cold snap of the autumn later this week as temperatures are forecast to plummet to 3C.

The “anticyclonic gloom” which left swathes of the UK with virtually no sunshine for more than a week had cleared at last in the capital by Monday morning.

But after a bright start to the week, the weather in London is set to take a gloomier turn as the week progresses.

The Met Office has warned of “some colder nights ahead” for London and surrounding areas, with temperatures falling as low as 3C on Sunday night.

The forecaster says the cold conditions will mark a return to “what is around average for the time of year”, by the end of the week.

London will see highs of 10C on Saturday and 8C on Sunday, and lows of 4C on Saturday night, and 3C on Sunday night.

The capital will enjoy a bright start to the week with bursts of sunshine lasting until Thursday, says the Met Office, before an overcast day on Friday and a gloomy weekend.

It comes after an unusual weather event has left London and other parts of the UK with significantly less sunshine than usual, so far this November.

The “anticyclonic gloom” that fell over the UK earlier this month left the nation experiencing, on average, only three hours of sunshine in the whole of the seven days up to Thursday, said the Met Ofice.

People living in the south of England have seen just one hour of sunshine, on average, since the month started, Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said.

Mr Dixon said “atmospheric gloom” is when “high pressure traps a layer of moisture near to the earth’s surface and that brings a prolonged period of dull and cloudy weather, but with pockets of mist and fog as well”.