Cold snap to hit UK with temperatures set to plunge until Easter

Temperatures are expected to plunge in the coming days with wintry showers, heavy rain and strong winds set to hit parts of the UK.

The unsettled weather comes with British Summer Time beginning in the UK this weekend when clocks go forward one hour from 1am on Sunday.

Some forecasters are predicting the cold and wet weather could continue into April and up to the Easter weekend.

Forecasters are warning of unsettled conditions with strong winds in northwestern areas from Tuesday and Wednesday.

Then by Friday, rain and high winds are expected across most of the UK with some showers even turning wintry in the northwest.

The Met Office said that bands of rain and strong winds will continue to move in from northern and western parts.

Southeastern areas are expected to enjoy the best of any settled weather, although rain is still likely to reach these parts.

Forecasters have said conditions will be more changeable as you head further north and west.

Temperatures at the start of the week could reach highs of 13C (55F) in the south of England, but could be hovering around 4C (39F) by the weekend.

In Edinburgh, temperatures could drift to as low as 2C (36F) early on Saturday morning before slowly recovering.