UK cold snap turns weather maps icy blue as Met Office warns of frost and gale-force winds

UK cold snap turns weather maps icy blue as Met Office warns of frost and gale-force winds The UK is in for cold snap this weekend, the Met Office has warned, with temperatures set to dip below freezing in many parts of the country on Friday morning The Met Office has warned that the UK will feel "markedly colder" in the coming days, with weather maps showing temperatures could dip below freezing across much of the country. In its UK-wide forecast, the forecaster said northerly winds will bring a chill from Thursday to Sunday, with frosty nights expected. Wintry showers and strong winds are forecast in the far north, along with some showers around coastal areas elsewhere. Netweather forecast maps suggest temperatures at 6am on Friday could be around 0C or below freezing in much of the UK, with some places seeing temperatures as low as -4C. The Met Office's outlook appears to support this outlook for large parts of the country, although its maps suggest temperatures in some areas - particularly on the coast - could be slightly higher, at around 1C to 2C. Met Office meteorologist Clair Nasir warned that gale-force winds could develop on Wednesday ahead of the cold snap. Speaking on the forecaster's YouTube channel, she said: "The winds will be fresh towards the south-west and also strong towards the north as well as the north-east. And in fact, touching near gale-force as we head through Wednesday and into Thursday. "Temperatures then again will be below average for this time of year - 7C across Scotland, in Wales 9C and then perhaps 11C towards the south-east, but with that breeze coming in from the north-east it is going to feel cold." On Thursday, outbreaks of rain are forecast across much of southern England and Wales, according to the Met Office's forecast. Further north, a few showers are expected along North Sea coasts. Clearer spells elsewhere will allow frost to develop. Ms Nasir said: "There will be a rush of showers moving in with the risk of those wintry downpours. Temperatures are struggling throughout the day, 4C to 6C degrees Celsius, perhaps a 9C in the south." She added that there is a "risk of fog and frost" on both Saturday and Sunday.