THE UK will feel colder than Russia today as forecasters warn of snow amid an Arctic plunge that will force temperatures down to -4C.
The mercury will drop by a whopping 16C overnight after an unusually balmy week, which saw highs of around 12C.
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Yellow warnings for ice are in place across Scotland and Northern Ireland until 11am.
Forecaster WXCharts predicts some heavy snow north of the border too, before the chill creeps lower across the country throughout the night.
Snow will settle in Wales and the northwest.
Those in the Midlands and the south will also see flurries, although they’re unlikely to cause disruption.
Although highs will be between 2C and 7C, the wind will make it feel as cold as -4C in the north.
Many places will feel chillier than Volgograd in Russia, where it’s currently 1C.
It’ll be bleak until Sunday in some areas, particularly in the north, while those living further south will face 50mph gales and rain showers.
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Met Office officials say the mild winter is coming to a very abrupt end.
“We will say goodbye to mild conditions as much colder Arctic air floods southwards across all areas,” a spokesperson said.
“Friday morning could see sleet or snow flurries across central and southern England, although it is unlikely to accumulate.
“Colder air will spread across the UK, with wintry showers likely to continue across parts of Wales, North West England and Scotland.
“Northern Scotland can expect snow to lower levels.
“The sharp fall in temperatures will see a fairly widespread frost in the north on Friday.
“Saturday to Monday will be very windy in the north with rain or wintry showers, with some rain and strong winds at times in the south.”
ARCTIC BLAST
And the service’s chief meteorologist Steve Ramsdale said: “We have some fairly typical winter weather in store.
“After the recent mild spell, we are going to see a cold interlude.
“It will not last long and, by the weekend, milder air is once again starting to return from the west.
“It’s not unusual for us to see snow in February, and there are no signals currently for anything out of the ordinary.”
He said the chill will be borne in by an active cold front from the north-west.
The odd seesaw shift from deep chills to mild spells will continue throughout the month.
It comes just days after back-to-back gales during Storm Corrie and Storm Malik.
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The tempests battered parts of northern England and Scotland with 90mph gusts, leaving 45,000 households without power and three dead.
The youngest victim – a nine-year-old boy – was at an organised pheasant shoot in Tean, Staffordshire when he was killed by a falling tree.
A man who was also at the organised event was rushed to hospital in a critical condition.
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