Is snow normal in April? Where it’s snowing today in the UK - and the last time it snowed in Spring

Colder weather will strike swathes of the UK today (April 12) as hospitality businesses set to re-open their outdoor spaces.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

As cooler air sweeps across Britain, some regions will experience snow showers, with colder weather set to last a few days.

Where in the UK will it snow?

Southern parts of the country, including London, Reading, Berkshire, Sevenoaks, Kent and parts of Oxfordshire have already seen some flurries of snow this morning (April 12), with other parts of the south also seeing some snow fall.

The drop in temperature has been caused by a change in wind direction.The drop in temperature has been caused by a change in wind direction.
The drop in temperature has been caused by a change in wind direction.
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Wintry and wet weather has hit Northern Ireland, Wales and western England while northern parts of England and Scotland are experiencing a more sunny – albeit chilly –start to the week.

The wet weather is expected to move south-eastwards by Monday lunchtime, hitting southern parts of the Midlands and the south coast.

What is the forecast like for the rest of the week?

As we move into Tuesday, temperatures overnight will be around freezing for most of the country, with the remainder of the week set to be cold but dry.

There’ll be isolated showers in some parts of the country, including Northern Ireland and western parts of England.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Most areas will be dry with variable cloud on Wednesday, say the Met Office, with temperatures expected to be a little less cold than earlier in the week.

Thursday will be mostly dry and bright with a few showers potentially hitting the south east of England.

While Friday will be dry and bright for most, wet and windy weather is expected in the north west.

How common is snow at this time of year – and when did it last snow in April?

According to the Met Office, temperature swings in the spring are not uncommon – though the high temperatures seen over the Easter weekend are more notable than the current cold snap.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

On average, the UK sees around 14 days on which temperatures fall to 0° C or below each spring. Coastal regions and islands around the south of the country have the fewest frosts.

Dr Mark McCarthy, Scientific Manager of the National Climate Information Centre at the Met Office said: “It’s not unusual to experience a wide temperature variation during a typical spring.”

“Of course, you would expect the lowest and highest spring temperatures to occur at the beginning and end of the season respectively, but natural variation dictates that periods of lower than average temperatures are to be expected as we move through the season”, he added.

In early April 2019, Britain was hit by a cold snap which brought wintry temperatures and snow showers to many parts of the UK, with snow covering high ground in Scotland and northern England.

Flurries were also seen down into the Midlands during the early hours.

The heavy snow caused a motorway pile-up on in Lancashire and a number of roads had to be closed in Scotland.