Last week saw new temperature records being set in Scotland with 23.6 °C recorded at Aboyne, Aberdeenshire on Tuesday.
In contrast, the temperature this Tuesday will be some 20 degrees colder with snow on the ground.
Over parts of Scotland, especially the north, significant snowfall could bring some travel disruption during the first half of the week, with 2-5 cm of snow expected in many areas and at least 15 cm for the higher parts of the Grampian mountains.
The hills of northern England will also see some snow on Tuesday but further south across England and Wales, we will mainly see rain which may turn to snow for a time over the hills of the Chilterns, Cotswolds, Salisbury Plain and the Downs.
Martin Young, Chief Forecaster at the Met Office, said: “Spring is a season of contrasts and it’s certainly not unusual to see snow at this time of year. However, this week’s wintry snap will be short-lived, with temperatures returning to normal as we head towards the Easter weekend.
“We can expect to see some hard night frosts by the middle of the week with temperatures down to between -4 and -6 °C in many places, with impacts for gardeners and growers.”
Keith Brown, Transport Minister for Scotland, said: “Coming so soon after last week’s extremely mild temperatures the key is to guard against complacency. The Met Office advises that temperatures could be 15-20 degrees colder in some places than they were at the same time last week. Therefore the public should continue to check travel bulletins or the Traffic Scotland website for the latest advice.”
Temperatures are expected to rise again later in the week and should be around normal again as we head into the Easter weekend.
