Summer-like sunshine will bathe Britain this weekend before a chilly U-turn brings the risk of rain, sleet and snow.
A dome of high pressure wedged over the country through the next few days will drive clear skies and above-average temperatures.
Southern regions will enjoy the best of the weather with Scotland and the north more likely to see the odd spot of rain.
However, a change in wind direction after the weekend will bring a ‘Polar’ airflow and the risk of wintry showers.
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Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said: “A change in wind direction in Scotland marks a subtle change as we go into the weekend, and a deep low pressure near Iceland will send a weather front into the northwest of Scotland bringing cloud and outbreaks of rain, but further south, high pressure holds on through the weekend.
“Colder air arrives from the north and the northwest on Monday, and that means we are into a Polar maritime airflow.
“That will bring sunny spells and showers composed of rain, sleet, hail and snow, and the further north you are and the higher up you are the more likely you are to see some snow.”
But the chilly snap will be short-lived, he said, with high pressure and westerly winds most likely mid-week.
Colder air will arrive in the north
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And any wintry showers at the start of the week will be confined to the high ground of Scotland and the north.
In the meantime, Britons will enjoy temperatures well above average for the time of year as high pressure locks in place helped by a wavy, ‘amplified’, jet stream.
Mr McGivern said: “It is the amplified nature of the jet that has led to high pressure building across the UK, and over the next few days we can expect high pressure to continue to influence the weather.
“There is a lot more dry weather and sunshine to come for many, but not for all, and there may be some spots of rain.”
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Some chilly mornings are on their way
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Clear skies overnight will lead to some chilly mornings, he warned, with warm sunshine following possible frosts.
He said: “It is a chilly start to Friday and there will be some mist and fog, it is one of those days where you may be scraping the car in the morning and enjoying the sunshine in the afternoon.”
“Widely clear skies overnight into Sunday will allow temperatures to fall, and it will be a cold start, with temperatures below freezing in some sheltered spots.”
Long-range forecasters agree next week could bring a different flavour of weather from the early spring sunshine.
Jim Dale, meteorologist for British Weather Services and co-author of ‘Surviving Extreme Weather’, said: “Thursday and Friday will continue to bring fine weather to many parts of the UK as high pressure continues to dominate.
“From later in the weekend, we will start to see weather fronts coming through, and there will be more chance of something unsettled, and perhaps cooler.”