UK set for Halloween snow blitz in five areas as temperatures plunge 18C

The UK faces snow in FIVE areas as Met Office forecasters confirm "wintry showers" could be en route. The mercury could plunge by as much as 18C in the coming days, from highs of 16C at times to lows of MINUS 2C as the country shivers.

The Scottish Highlands and the Lake District expect flurries to sweep the country as we head into November, with November 2 earmarked as a date for a potential blast of the white stuff, in a Halloween and Bonfire Night blast of flurries.

Forecasters say snow will fall across the Scottish Highlands as well as Midlothian, the Scottish Borders, and in England in Lake District and Northumberland. It comes as separate maps and charts from WX Charts, using Met Desk data, hints Cornwall and Devon could be impacted too.

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In a separate forecast, James Madden, from Exacta Weather, said: "An additional area of low pressure and rather unsettled feature then looks to interfere with this regime from in and around Thursday or Friday, and this could bring more in the way of some heavy showers and potentially gusty to strong winds, particularly across parts of Scotland and Ireland and in western parts of the UK once again to begin with.

"Additionally, this will also pave the way for some much cooler to even colder conditions for the time of the year from the north as we head into next weekend, and this should also happen to coincide with some further stormy conditions in this period to bring some wintry weather across the far north and Scotland at the very least during next weekend and early next week (around October 27/28)."

In the short-term a Met Office forecast for Thursday (October 24) explains: "Many eastern and northeastern areas will have a fine day with some sunshine, though it will be breezy. Further west there will be more cloud giving the odd patch of rain, and here it will also be windy. Mild everywhere."

Its forecast for tonight says: "Dry across central and eastern parts with clear intervals and areas of low cloud. Windy in the west and southwest with thicker cloud and outbreaks of locally heavy rain. Mild."