WXCharts weather maps show a UK cold snap is set to arrive from the early hours of Wednesday May 6, with temperatures expected to drop to as low as -3C in some parts of the country
Georgia Diebelius Content Editor, Kirstie McCrum and Astha Saxena
15:00, 04 May 2026
A cold snap will hit the UK, the latest weather maps suggest(Image: Getty)
Swathes of Britain face plunging into sub-zero conditions within days, with new weather maps showing temperatures plummeting to as low as -3C.
The latest forecasts suggest the icy blast will grip the nation at approximately 6am on Wednesday (May 6), bringing an abrupt end to a period of glorious sunshine.
Today (Monday), certain parts of the UK in and around London are basking in temperatures of around 18C. However, the mercury will take a dramatic plunge from the early hours of Wednesday morning when the Arctic snap takes hold.
Fresh weather charts from WXCharts show Scotland will bear the brunt of the freeze, with areas surrounding Inverness set to endure lows of -3C.
Major cities across England will also witness temperatures dropping into single digits, the maps reveal. Regions around Manchester and Birmingham face the mercury tumbling to 2C at roughly 6pm on Wednesday.
(Image: WXCharts)
London, Oxford, Gloucester and Norwich are forecast to see lows of 6C, according to the data, reports the Mirror.
The Met Office stated: “Turning cooler for all as northerly winds set in across the UK. Some showers at times, though these lighter and fewer than the weekend with sunny spells emerging as well.” Nick Finnis, from Netweather.tv, wrote in his latest weather blog: “The new week will feature a cooler northerly flow to start the week, eventually veering northeasterly by mid-week, with a fair bit of cloud spreading down across the country in this flow – thick enough to bring scattered showers in places, though many places missing them and staying dry.
“Some bright or sunny spells will be likely in places too. After mid-week, wind looks to swing around to come from a southerly direction across the south eventually, as an area of low pressure moves down from the northwest, bringing in warmer air across the south.
(Image: WXCharts)
“However, staying cooler across the north. Still a risk of showers in places after mid-week, more substantial rain in the far northwest on Thursday, though many places missing the showers, some places staying dry all week.”
The forecaster pointed out that temperatures throughout the UK and much of northern and western Europe would dip beneath the seasonal norm during daytime hours on Wednesday.
He continued: “Wednesday looks like the coolest day of the week, as flow turns northeasterly, bringing arctic air in across the north. Could be quite cloudy across many areas, with limited spells of sunshine and some showers across northern and western areas. Temperatures 10-15C at best.”
(Image: WXCharts)
UK’s coldest cities
Aberdeen -1C
Dundee -1C
Glasgow-1C
Edinburgh -1C
Perth -1C
Inverness -3C
Newcastle 0C
York 0C
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