UK weather forecast: Dense fog, rain and frosts to bring an end to brief spell of balmy weather

Temperatures expected to stay mild as warm air travels up from south west, Met Office says

Dense fog and rain will hit much of the UK as temperatures dip after a stream of tropical air resulted in unusually mild weather across much of the country.

A cold start on Saturday morning will be followed by maximum temperatures of up to 12C over the weekend with some sunny spells and a few showers for Scotland, the Met Office said.

It will feel slightly cooler after the brief spell of warm weather earlier in the week, which resulted in the warmest Valentine’s Day since 1988.

But as warm air travels up from the south west, areas to the north east of higher ground could be sheltered from the wind and therefore reach a slightly higher 14-15C, forecasters said.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: "The reason it has been so warm and so settled recently is because of the jet stream has been running through the north of the UK , so we’ve been on the warmer southern side of it.

"However, as we go through the weekend and into the new working week, we will see the jetstream running throught the UK.

"That does mean things will turn a little more changeable and there is some colder air making its way in.”

The Met Office predicted a bright start to Sunday with some early mist and low cloud.

Temperatures are expected to enter double figures again for large parts of the UK. However, conditions in Scotland will be more unsettled with some strong winds in parts and cooler temperatures.

The Met Office said that it will be a mild start to the following week with the prospect of some pockets of drizzle, but also some sunny spells.

From Tuesday onwards, the weather will remain largely mild and settled, with cloud and rain becoming increasingly restricted to the far north of the UK. But there will be some overnight fog and frost.

However, there is a small chance that a colder spell could develop in eastern areas later in the week, with a low risk of some temporary snow.

Meteorologist Greg Dewhurst told The Independent: “Going into March temperatures are expected to remain mild as warm air travels up from the south west.

"Any snow looks most likely to be confined to higher ground in the north."