UK weather: Exactly when temperatures will hit double digits as cold spell ends

Winds of 50mph expected on Sunday before ‘milder weather’ settles

Britain’s cold snap will peak within days as temperatures are expected to drop to -10C before rising to double digits on Sunday, the Met Office has said.

Though temperatures will be milder, forecasters warned the change in mercury will bring strong winds of up to 50mph, with snow and rain still on the cards.

Met Office forecaster Oli Claydon said: “The change in weather will start coming through on Sunday mainly as a warm front starts to cross the UK quite quickly.

“But this brings a few hazards with it - strengthening winds, precipitation, rain in the south west and midlands.

“Further north, we will see more snow but it will be quite transitory as the warm air will be pushing behind it, so it will turn to rain.

“By Sunday, we will see highs back into double digits. Plymouth will have highs of 12C and this is likely to be carried into Monday.”

The weather service has issued yellow weather warnings for snow and ice across most of the UK for Sunday, as a “band of snow is expected to move northeast across the UK on Sunday, in most places lasting two to four hours before turning to rain”.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks warned that some households may remain without power until the end of the week (SIC/PA)

Britain’s cold snap looks to come to an end by next week (PA)

The Met Office said: “In addition to the snow and ice, strong winds are expected across all parts, with gales or severe gales mainly across high ground. This will lead to blizzard conditions in some areas for a time.”

A Level 3 Cold Weather Alert - issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) - covering all of England has been extended up to Sunday.

Yellow warnings for snow and ice are in place for Sunday across UK (Met Office)

Met Office forecaster Paul Gundersen also said that the cold conditions “will lose exclusive dominance over the UK’s weather patterns and we will move into a regime where relatively mild and relatively cold conditions will vie for supremacy”.

He added: “We can expect changeable conditions with colder and milder air not too far away from our shores, but it does seem that the Atlantic ‘has woken up’ compared with recent days and will be a stronger influence, countering any further bouts of extreme cold conditions, although spells of further wintry weather remain possible through the rest of December.”

A Met Office yellow warning for snow and ice remains in place across much of northern Scotland, including Shetland, and north-east England, Yorkshire and Humber until 11.59pm on Thursday.