Britain’s families face a split in the weather during the October half-term holidays next week – with the South seeing drier conditions and the North experiencing rain.
The break will begin with colder-than-average temperatures this weekend as daytime highs only reach the low double figures and London gets to a mere 11C (52F).
The Met Office said cooler, arctic maritime air originating from the Arctic Ocean will spill southwards across the UK and bring a noticeable chill from tomorrow.
Some areas could wake up to frosts as temperatures fall to the low single figures overnight and even below freezing in County Durham, Cumbria and Northumberland.
Forecasters said there could also be some wintry showers over the tops of the Scottish mountains tomorrow as temperatures plunge, with light snow a possibility.
Southern England is set to be dry over the weekend despite the chill, with high pressure building from the Azores archipelago in the North Atlantic towards the UK.
But conditions will be more unsettled further north with lower pressure and systems moving in from the Atlantic, bringing rain – heaviest on hills in the North West.
Towards the end of next week, unsettled weather is expected to spread more widely across the UK as whole, with low pressure systems bringing rain to most areas.
Two boys play in the sea on a cold day in Scarborough during October half-term last year
Daytime temperatures next week are expected to recover to close to or slightly below normal for the time of year with daytime highs of 13C (55F) to 14C (57F).
The Met Office outlook for Monday, October 27 to Wednesday, November 5 reads in full: ‘A changeable start to the period with bands of rain from the Atlantic moving across the country. at times.
‘The wettest and windiest conditions are likely to be across the northwest with some decent drier interludes across the south and east.
‘Around the turn of the month or into early November, wetter and windier conditions across the north and west are likely to extend more widely across the country.
‘It is somewhat uncertain when this will occur with high pressure attempting to maintain some influence across the southeast maintaining more settled conditions here.
‘Temperatures will be a little below average at the start of the period, likely trending upwards with potential for a mild spell around the turn of the month.’
It comes after Storm Benjamin, as named by Meteo France, battered the UK with heavy downpours and strong winds yesterday.
October half-term in 2024 saw grey conditions across the UK amid ‘anticyclonic gloom’
The Met Office issued four yellow weather warnings over possible disruption, flooding, power cuts and damage to buildings in a number of areas.
The storm moved from the English Channel to the North Sea during the day.
October half-term in 2024 saw grey conditions across the UK amid ‘anticyclonic gloom’, brought about by an anticyclone or high-pressure system settled over the country.
This occurs when air sinks towards the ground under high pressure, trapping a thin layer of moisture or low cloud close to the surface which the October sun cannot break through.
The clocks go back in the early hours of Sunday morning.
