London weather: Temperature plunges to 4C overnight as Arctic blast chills capital

Millions of Londoners were waking up to a extremely chilly morning on Friday as an Arctic blast sent temperatures plummeting across the UK.

The Met Office recorded a low of 4C overnight in the capital sending people reaching for the thermostat.

It comes after hailstones fell in parts of the capital with one resident filming a heavy shower outside their window in Osterley, Hounslow, on Thursday afternoon.

Elsewhere, social media users reported the weather changing between “warm sunshine, major hail [and] warm sunshine” in the space of an hour.

The Met Office says warmer sunshine is on the cards with temperatures in London set to climb to 17C on Friday and to 20C over the weekend.

Meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “It will be much warmer and settled in the south, but it’s turning wet and windy for western Scotland.

“It’s much more typical September weather on the way into next week too.”

It comes after the first taste of winter arrived as parts of the UK were hit by widespread frost and icy conditions, with snow dusting some Scottish mountains.

On Thursday, the mercury tumbled to a bone-chilling -2C in the Highlands, while Yorkshire woke to a frosty 1C. Cumbria shivered at 2C, Worcestershire at 3C and even typically mild Devon saw just 4C.