There are still sub-zero nights to come before the frigid ‘arctic air’ leaves the UK

Cold and frosty mornings are forecast in parts of Britain this week after freezing nighttime temperatures, with conditions expected to drop to -3ºC.

The Met Office said temperatures could reach below freezing in parts of northern England and Scotland on Wednesday and Thursday nights – with snow on some higher ground – as northerly winds continue to bring cold nights and below-average temperatures throughout the day.

Average temperatures in April are typically around 14°C to 15°C across the country, but conditions have been colder so far this month, closer to 10°C in the south-east of England. This is before cold Arctic air clears and ushers in a warmer spell this weekend, forecasters say.

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The Met Office said there is a risk of heavy rain and possible thunderstorms in southern parts of Britain this weekend as an area of ​​low pressure moves through the country, bringing unsettled weather and cloudy skies to accompany warmer conditions as the week progresses.

Ellie Glaisyer, a meteorologist at the Met Office, said the colder temperatures in April were “nothing exceptional” and were expected to move closer to their seasonal averages this weekend and early next week.

She said there will be “some frost here and there” on Wednesday and Thursday nights, adding: “The reason for (the low temperatures) is that we have a high pressure area towards the west of Britain and that gives a northerly wind over Great Britain.

“So it is the northerly winds that are causing temperatures to be slightly below average, especially in the eastern parts of Britain, because the air is coming from the direction of the Arctic.”

Ms Glaisyer added that colder temperatures are expected to continue over the coming days, with parts of eastern England experiencing particularly cold weather, before temperatures rise this weekend and may even exceed their seasonal averages by one or two degrees in some places.

Freezing temperatures expected in Scotland and northern England overnight could potentially extend to rural parts of Wales and some parts of central England over the next two days, she added.

But the forecaster said weather conditions were “nothing exceptional, just slightly below average for the time of year”.