Temperatures could fall to -5C as Britain braced for chilly weekend

Britain has been warned to prepare for a cold snap (PA)
Britain has been warned to prepare for a cold snap (PA)

Britain is braced for a chilly weekend as the mercury plummets below freezing across the country.

Some parts of the country will see frosty conditions overnight on Friday with some freezing fog developing by morning.

But the dry conditions mean there is little chance of snow, although it might raise fears that Britain could face another winter like last year when it was hit by the ‘Beast from the East‘.

The coldest night of the winter so far was experienced in Scotland on Wednesday into Thursday, according to the Met Office, with the lowest temperature in Braemar, Aberdeenshire, recorded at -10.5C.

Temperatures could drop as low as -5, forecasters warned (PA)
Temperatures could drop as low as -5, forecasters warned (PA)

Another frosty night saw lows of -8C in Aboyne, also in Aberdeenshire, -7C in Sennybridge, in Powys, and -6.1C in Oxfordshire overnight Thursday.

Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said the wintry weather will continue into the weekend, with areas where there are clear skies expected to see the coldest temperatures.

‘We are going to see a fairly cloudy day today, it’s a bit grey, fairly dry, with a few sunny spells were we get breaks in the clouds,’ said Ms Maxey.

The coldest ever January temperatures (PA)
The coldest ever January temperatures (PA)

“There will be some isolated light showers in the North West and it’s going to feel fairly cold, with temperatures for most staying in the low single figures.

‘In the North East, temperatures will be struggling to get over freezing, while London today should be 5C or 6C.

‘Tonight, we are looking at temperatures dropping below freezing again for many areas. We could potentially see -4C or -5C for parts of the country.

Forecasters though have ruled out any chance of snow over the weekend (PA)
Forecasters though have ruled out any chance of snow over the weekend (PA)

‘Where we get the breaks in the cloud for sunshine, we will also get the coldest temperatures at night.’

Ms Maxey said London could see lows of -3C, while Newcastle and Manchester, where it is cloudier, will have minimum temperatures of 1C or 2C.

Saturday is shaping up to be another cloudy, cold day with sunny spells for some and light drizzle in the West, and temperatures likely to peak at around 6C or 7C.

Forecasters have also warned there could be freezing fog (PA)
Forecasters have also warned there could be freezing fog (PA)

Sunday will see temperatures increasing slightly, with London and Bristol expected to see highs creep into the double digits as colder air moves away.

But a low-pressure weather system will bring stronger winds to Scotland and the Met Office will issue a yellow weather warning for Monday into Tuesday.

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