When will UK’s Arctic blast of sub-zero temperatures with frost and hail end?

An Arctic blast of cold air is expected to cause UK temperatures to tumble below zero in some rural areas.

The Met Office said Thursday will be another chilly and breezy day, with sunny spells and scattered showers. Hail and thunder are possible in the south this afternoon.

The forecaster said tonight is likely to be the coldest night of the week, as temperatures in rural areas could drop below freezing, but things will pick up for the weekend

But Met Office spokesman Johnathan Vautrey said temperatures for most of the week will be 4-6C below average.

“We could see some patchy frost developing in rural areas across all nations of the UK, particularly Scotland,” Mr Vautrey said.

“For people waking up on Friday morning it could be quite a shock to the system as they’re walking out of the door.

“There is a small chance of some snow falling over the highest mountains of Scotland, but you’ll have to hike quite a way before you see any snow.”

The mercury fell to -2C in the Highlands early on Thursday morning, while Yorkshire dropped to 1C with Cumbria coming in at a chilly to 2C.

Met Office meteorologist Clare Nasir said: “The reason why we have both is because the position of the wind.

“It’s coming in from the Arctic, dragging in very cold air and then flowing over a relatively warm sea.”

On tonight, she added: “We’ll see some starry skies - any showers again tending to fade away, particularly inland. Across the far north of Scotland, the wind direction does change and we lose the sting in the wind.

“But temperatures really taking a tumble through the early hours of Friday morning, so expect a frost in the north particularly in the countryside - and even some isolated frost further south in the towns and cities.

“Temperatures dipping as low as around 2C or 3C so it is a cold start to the day. So wrap up warm if you’re heading out. At least though it’s a quiet morning with some sunshine.”

The arctic blast is not expected to last too long, with temperatures climbing back to a September average by the weekend with highs of up to 22C in the south.

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.”