Dodge the showers but get the barbecue ready: Britain shivers amid snow, hail and rain before sub-tropical plume brings 72F heat on Sunday
Large areas can expect showers through Friday before it begins to clear later this evening with some late sun
Tonight will be mostly dry with patches of mist and fog across north-east Scotland while the south-west is wet
Yet Sunday will be the day to stoke the barbecue as mercury rockets to 72F due to a plume of sub-tropical air
Unseasonal snowfall has given skiers in the Lake District ideal conditions to return to the slopes after a winter of lockdown.
Lake District Ski Club members were “giddy” at the unusual sight of snow-covered mountains in May, club president Mike Sweeney said.
He said about 40 people used the tow on Raise, near Helvellyn, to get to the top on the slope on Wednesday, when there were blue skies and views as far as Scotland, as well as deep snow.
He said: “It was fabulous, people were just giddy with excitement.”
The snow started to fall on Tuesday and was still coming down on Thursday, although visibility had got worse, he said.
There is little joy on the horizon for anyone planning a drink or meal outside a pub as the wintry snap is set to be replaced by a warmer, wetter, windier weekend, forecasters have warned.
A band of snowy showers which gave the north of Scotland a spring covering moved south overnight into Thursday to reach parts of northern England.
These Arctic bursts – along with a chance of hail and thunder – are likely to continue into Friday.
Many places on the slopes of the Pennines, the Lake District and the North East of England woke to a dusting of snow, but in most areas it was nothing like the 2cm recorded at Aviemore in the Cairngorms.