UK weather maps turn icy blue as brutal 0C Arctic blast could hit 5 cities

The UK could be smashed by a brutal Arctic , which could see temperatures even plunge below 0C in some parts of the country. According to from WXCharts, a is likely to hit the country at around 6am on May 9.

Areas such as Inverness, Wick, Edinburgh and Newcastle are likely to be worst affected by the dramatic snap, and could see the mercuty plunge to as low as 0C or even -1C. However, the wintry conditions will also leave an impact on the southern parts of the country, the maps suggest.

The maps, which are prepared using the Metdesk data, show that even cities such as Birmingham, Manchester, and London may witness freezing temperatures of 0C, 1C and 3C respectively on the early morning of May 9.

The 's long-range forecast May 3-12 reads: "Following a warm week, temperatures will most likely be closer to average for most of the UK.

"Whilst a little rain is possible across the south at first, most areas should stay mainly dry. Largely fine but cooler conditions are most likely over the weekend. However, northern and northeastern parts could turn cloudier and breezier at times with a chance of rain at times.

"Into the following week, conditions will probably turn more changeable overall, with dry, settled periods interspersed with some spells of wetter weather.

"This will bring some showers or longer spells of rain at times, which could be heavy and thundery in places.

"Western and northwestern parts are most likely to see fair weather prevail for longest. Temperatures are expected to remain around or just above average."

The sudden shift in the weather comes as the predicted that the country is likely to see plenty of sunshine this week, with parts of England likely to hit 29C on Thursday.

Chief Meteorologist Jason Kelly said: "Thursday looks set to be the warmest day of the week, with temperatures climbing notably above the seasonal average. Overnight temperatures will also be very high in places.

"It's possible national and station records for daytime and overnight temperatures may be broken, but it's unclear at this point whether heatwave criteria will be reached; if this happens, it is most likely in some of the lower category areas which require temperatures to reach 25°C or above for three consecutive days.

"The far north will always see cooler conditions, with these more seasonal temperatures likely spreading erratically south later in the week."