Shropshire weather: May Day bank holiday to bring wind, hail and thunder

British Summer Time may have begun weeks ago, but the long weekend is expected to be bookended by blustery, wet and chilly weather.

Snow was falling in the West Midlands on Friday morning and the Met Office warned hail and thunder was possible for the rest of the day, with wintry showers alternating with sunny spells.

Temperatures on Friday will stay in the single figures and could dip below freezing in some parts overnight, driven down by cold air coming from the Arctic.

Met Office forecaster Helen Roberts said Friday would mostly be "rain showers and a wintry mix of snow, sleet and hail."

Hail was expected "just about anywhere" and the Ms Roberts warned of the risks it may pose to motorists.

The showers are expected to ease overnight before returning on Saturday morning, when early risers will be greeted with widespread frost.

Once the showers clear again on Saturday evening, outside will be "feeling pleasant in the sunshine," according to the Met Office.

But Sunday - the first day of May - will see rain and blustery winds return, as temperatures steadily fall through to Bank Holiday Monday.

Forecasters believe Monday will be blighted by rain rather than snow - but warned predictions could change.

And the weather is unlikely to be better for those getting away this weekend.

Up to six inches (15cm) of snow is predicted to fall over higher ground in the North West and southern and eastern Scotland, while southern England will see a mix of sun and showers similar to the West Midlands.

Although late April has seen snow, the phenomenon is not as unusual as people might think.

Between 1981 and 2010 the UK saw an average of 2.3 days of snow, more than the 1.7 days for an average November, according to Met Office statistics.

And the smattering of snow the UK has seen this week - there was just over 2in (6cm) at Carlton-in-Cleveland in North Yorkshire on Tuesday - is little compared with 1981, when almost 1ft of snow covered Buxton in Derbyshire and Sheffield.

Nicola Maxey, a Met Office spokeswoman, said: "Cold air coming in from the Arctic is suppressing temperatures, bringing colder weather in, and any precipitation we get will be wintry showers.

"Temperatures over the weekend will warm up slightly by a degree or two, and we are likely to see more frost on the way.

"On Saturday and Sunday temperatures are going to be around 15C (59F).

"For Bank Holiday Monday, a weather front will bring quite a lot of rain and strong winds, possibly gale-force, and Sunday and Monday are looking like blustery days.

"It will feel quite cool in the wind, and Saturday is looking to be the best day of the weekend, with a mixture of sunshine and showers, and drier in the South."