Britain could be hit by snow and ice in the coming days as temperatures drop below the March average.
The Met Office said a ‘greatly strengthened’ jet stream will push colder weather from near Greenland into the north of the UK by the weekend.
Meteorologists say this could lead to “disruptive snow in some places” early next week.
But the disruption is not expected to be as severe as conditions in 2018 when Britain was hit by the ‘Beast from the East’.
It comes as a deep freeze has gripped Europe in recent days, with snow covering even some of the continent’s most popular summer holiday destinations.
A man and a woman made their way through the snow in Carrbridge, Scotland, last month
An image from Met Office shows how temperatures are expected to drop from next Monday
Aidan McGivern, from the Met Office, explained next week’s forecast, saying: ‘During the weekend, low pressure over the mid-North Atlantic will start to carry energy north and allow high pressure over the UK to migrate to Greenland.
“At the same time, there is a highly amplified, highly disturbed jet stream.
“It revolves around this low (pressure) and then pushes all the way back north from the high pressure developing over Greenland, allowing this northerly feed that could allow the colder weather to move north into the UK by the end of Saturday .’
Mr McGivern added that the cold air is most likely to be pushed to the north and east of Britain, although the pattern could change as the week progresses.
“If that happens, the low pressure from the south and west is likely to push in and mix with the cold in the north and east, leading to some disruptive snow in some places early next week,” he said.
The Met Office’s long-term forecast for the rest of the month also warns of wintry showers and heavy snowfall.
But the disruptions in the coming days are not expected to be as great as the blizzard dubbed the Beast from the East.
Mark Sidaway, deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office, told Sky News: “While we have had sudden stratospheric warming in March and other factors pointing to colder conditions in March, there is a slight chance of highly disruptive winter weather at this stage like the one from five years ago in March 2018.’
Experts expect skies to remain cloudy today, with some scattered light showers, mainly in eastern and central England and south-east Scotland, but possibly elsewhere.
Some parts of North West Scotland and South East England can experience occasional sunny spells.
It comes as parts of the continent known for scorching temperatures, including the French island of Corsica, are blanketed in snow this week as Storm Juliette races across the Mediterranean.
Snow covers the Tibidabo amusement park in Barcelona, Spain, on Monday
A snowplow sweeps the road along the Vizzavona Pass as heavy snow blankets the mountains on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica in Vizzavona on Tuesday
Much of the island’s rocky terrain at an elevation of more than half a mile was ravaged by a blizzard that had dumped more than four inches of snow on the Spanish holiday destination of Majorca hours earlier.
Parts of the French island with elevations below 800 meters have instead been ravaged by heavy rains, as winds of up to 55 mph punished the coastline.
Footage from the town of Vizzavona, which sits about 0.6 miles (1 km) above sea level, showed snow plows being deployed to clear several inches of snow from the roads as villagers clad in heavy winter clothing stumbled through the blizzard.
A man was seen struggling across a field in what appeared to be knee-deep snow as mothers carried their children on their backs.
While residents of Corsica are experiencing blizzards and torrential rain unusual for the Mediterranean, Juliette’s impact on Mallorca was far worse with 20 inches of snow closing roads and knocking out power in dozens of towns.
The Spanish resort island was covered in snow Monday and Tuesday and officials issued a rare red alert for the second day in a row as another 15 inches are expected to fall in the next 24 hours.
Storm Juliette first hit Mallorca, known for its beautiful sandy beaches and excellent weather almost year-round, on Sunday and has since brought blizzards and cold weather to the Balearic island.
The Spanish meteorological agency AEMET warned that the coastal areas in the north of Mallorca will be hit by winds of 90 km/h and waves of 8 meters high.
The blizzard has also caused power cuts in dozens of towns, including Valldemossa, Alaró, Vilafranca and Port d’Alcúdia.
