Britain is staring down a brutal three-day freeze starting next week, with forecast models pointing to temperatures plummeting to -3C across parts of Scotland.
The GFS weather model suggests sub-zero daytime temperatures will grip 24 counties across Scotland, Wales, and northern England over a three-day stretch.
Cold air is expected to hit Scotland first, then push south into England and Wales.
Temperature anomaly charts for the period have turned a deep shade of blue, signalling that temperatures will fall well below typical mid-November levels.
Even London faces a sharp chill, with forecasters predicting the capital may only manage 4C during the cold spell, while East Anglia is expected to fare best at roughly 6C.
The Met Office has warned of a shift to icier weather in the latter part of next week.
Its forecast covering November 9 to November 18 states: “Toward the end of next week we may start to see some colder conditions spread from the north to much of, if not all of the UK.
“But while the nature of this colder outbreak is very uncertain, it could bring some wintry showers to the northern UK briefly, with the south trending drier once again.”
The national weather agency also indicated that the southern half of the country has a better chance of milder, wetter spells, while northern regions are more likely to stay dry before the freeze takes hold.
By early evening on November 11, northern Scotland could see the thermometer sink to -3C as the cold air mass first takes hold.
The following day, forecast maps indicate the freeze will have spread considerably further, with southern Scotland and Wales recording lows of -1C and the North Pennines enduring -2C.
Conditions are predicted to remain bitterly cold on November 13, with the North Pennines once again among the chilliest spots at -1C.
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The capital could see readings stuck at just 4C by 6pm, while the Midlands and South Wales may register between 2C and 3C.
Some forecasts also suggest temperatures around Inverness and Manchester could drop to as low as -4C on November 13.
A total of 24 counties are forecast to experience below-freezing daytime temperatures across the three days.
Scotland accounts for the largest share, with 16 counties affected: Ross-shire and Cromartyshire, Inverness-shire, Banffshire, Argyllshire, Perthshire, Aberdeenshire, Stirlingshire, Dunbarton, Lanarkshire, West Lothian, Midlothian, Ayrshire, Dumfriesshire, Peeblesshire, Selkirkshire and Roxburghshire.
In England, Cumbria, Northumberland, Lancashire and Herefordshire are braced for sub-zero readings.
The Welsh counties of Denbighshire, Merioneth, Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire complete the list.
However, the freeze may not end there.
According to The Mirror, the cold snap could stretch through to November 16, with the number of affected areas potentially rising to 41 as icy conditions extend further into England and Wales.
Forecasters believe disruption to the polar vortex is behind the unusually early arrival of freezing conditions.
According to The Mirror, El Niño is being blamed for unsettling global weather patterns this year, with knock-on effects for the mass of frigid air that normally sits above the Earth’s poles.
When the polar vortex weakens, Arctic air can surge southwards, often accompanied by sudden stratospheric warming events in which high-altitude winds slow or reverse direction.
These shifts are well known to trigger prolonged cold spells and snowfall, though current models do not indicate significant snow in the coming weeks.
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