UK wraps up warm as ‘the beast from the east’ looms
Freezing air from Russia is set to grip the country.
Britons are starting to feel the chill as a cold front sweeps in from Russia to deliver what is forecast to be the coldest late February in five years.
The cold blast – dubbed the “beast from the east” – will see temperatures plunge below zero from Sunday night, with some areas seeing lows of minus 8C (17.6F).
If it approaches the UK from the south it can be cold and dry, bringing clear skies and a heavy frost.
But if it sweeps in from the North East, extra moisture brings the threat of heavy snow, which would hit just as the first day of the meteorological spring arrives.
Temperatures may be tipped to go as low as minus 8C (17.6F), but that’s still a long way off the lowest seen in the UK in the past few years.