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UK weather maps have turned an icy shade of blue as forecasters warn temperatures could plunge to -3C in parts of the country within days. New WXCharts maps, based on the latest ECMWF data, show a sharp overnight chill developing across northern Britain early next week, with frost likely in some rural areas despite the recent spell of warm spring sunshine.

The charts for Sunday, May 10 at 6am show minimum temperatures dropping below freezing across large parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England. The coldest pockets in the Scottish Highlands are shown dipping to around -3C, while much of Scotland is forecast to wake up to temperatures between -1C and 2C.

Elsewhere, northern England is projected to see lows of around 1C to 3C, with parts of Wales and the Midlands also experiencing a noticeably colder start to the day. Southern England remains milder, with overnight temperatures mostly between 6C and 12C.

A second WXCharts map showing temperature anomalies compared with the 1991-2020 climate average highlights widespread below-average conditions across much of the UK.

Scotland and northern England are shown in deep blue shading, indicating temperatures several degrees colder than normal for early May.

The maps suggest the colder conditions will be most pronounced in rural inland areas where clear skies and lighter winds allow temperatures to fall rapidly overnight.

Urban centres and coastal regions are expected to stay slightly milder.

Despite the overnight freeze risk, daytime conditions are still expected to remain relatively pleasant in many areas, particularly across southern Britain where sunshine could help temperatures recover into the mid to high teens.

The WXCharts projections indicate colder air spreading south across the UK, bringing a sharp drop in overnight temperatures by the weekend.

According to the WXCharts projections, the coldest conditions are expected around dawn on Sunday before temperatures gradually recover later in the day.

The colder snap follows a run of unusually warm and dry weather that brought temperatures above seasonal averages in several parts of the UK during the opening days of May.

Some areas even enjoyed a 'mini heatwave', rising to 24C in some parts of the UK.