Snow in Bedford following a sunny Easter weekend - how long will the cold weather last?

The temperature across the UK today took a turn towards the decidedly chilly, following a sunny Easter weekend.

Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge explained that the cold weather is due to a change of wind direction which will bring a change in the atmosphere.

He said: “The air we had on Sunday came in from the south, so it’s pretty mild having come off the continent.

“That will introduce much, much colder air across the whole country.”

Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, Dan Suri, also added: “The Met Office has been signalling a dramatic change in weather type for several days, with very cold air moving from the Arctic through Sunday night, bringing snow showers and freezing overnight temperatures and all accompanied by strong northerly wings accentuating the cold.”

Snow in Bedford

As of Easter Monday morning, parts of the UK have already begun to experience snow - including Bedford.

On Twitter, the hashtag #UKSnow has started trending, with users sharing videos and pictures of snow.

Several videos showed rather heavy snow occurring in Aberdeen and Braemar, while users in England, including Northumberland, Leeds and Durham, also shared videos and pictures of the snow.

Some users were baffled by the sudden change in weather between Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.

One person Tweeted: “Yesterday I had dinner in the garden wearing a t-shirt, today it’s snowing.”

Another wrote: “Have to admit, I was skeptical when I heard it was going to snow this week, but here it is…”

“Sitting in the garden with the beginnings of a tan on Saturday, below freezing right now. Merry Easter!” wrote another.

How long will the cold weather last?

According to the Met Office, temperatures in Bedford this week will see a high of 11°C on Thursday and a low of -2°C tomorrow (April 6).

Looking ahead, it says that from April 9 to April 18, it expects another very cold and wintry picture, especially for northern areas. Uncertainty remains in how far south this very cold air will extend.

It also expects temperatures to largely remain below average for the time of year, with notable overnight frosts. No more snow is expected.