It may be British Summer Time but a wintry blast is on the way, forecasters warned today.
There will be a cold snap on Tuesday and Wednesday, with snow expected on high ground in northern parts of Britain.
Julian Mayes, senior forecaster with MeteoGroup, said: 'It's turning very unsettled and we expect a two-day cold snap on Tuesday and Wednesday, which is going to give quite a surprise to many people after the recent mild weather.
Chilly: A father and son walk through Great Chart near Ashford, Kent, following a night of heavy snow fall last month. More snow is predicted this week
'The current charts suggest it's going to be fairly short-lived in the south, with the worst of the cold winds and risk of snow being on the northern hills.
'On Tuesday, we expect to see rain or showers over most of Britain, with strong northerly winds over Scotland turning the rain to snow there in some places.
'Tuesday night looks like being a very cold night, particularly over Scotland and Ireland, with snow on high ground and rain at lower levels.
'But even if people miss the snow, it's going to be cold and windy and wet.
'On Wednesday, there is the likelihood of snow on high ground in Scotland - approaching blizzard conditions on the highest ground.
Springtime: Hollie De-Ste-Croix, 21, enjoys an icecream on the seafront near Southsea Castle, Hampshire, today. Temperatures are set to plunge on Tuesday
'That night it will be still very windy and cold with showers or longer spells of rain, then on Thursday there should be some sunshine for some areas, with winds from the north west rather than the north - we'll be beginning to come out of it by then.
'It should be milder by Friday, with rain coming in from the south west, but unfortunately it does look an unsettled picture over the Easter weekend.'
The country has seen mild temperatures for the best part of 10 days.
Mr Mayes said: 'The month started cold, but the warmer temperatures recently have taken the whole month up to about average for March. The highest reading of the year so far was one of 18C (64F) in Norfolk on March 18.
'But it's not unusual to get a northerly blast in springtime.'
Here comes the sun: To mark the first day of spring, dozens of women last week plunged into the Firth of Forth as part of the Nairn's Natural Woman 'Big Dunk'
However, it still seems the country really is on course for a barbecue summer this year.
Forecaster Positive Weather Solutions (PWS) correctly predicted that last summer would be a wash-out.
It has 'out-forecast' the Met Office over the last two years with a string of accurate long-term predictions. And PWS is confident that Britain will indeed see a barbecue summer in 2010.
It says average temperatures in June, July and August are on course to beat those of 1976, the hottest summer yet when temperatures exceeded 89.6f (32c) for 15 days from late June to early July.
This year a two-week spell at the start of August is expected to be hotter than the UK's highest ever temperature, the 38.5c (101.3f) recorded at Brogdale, near Faversham, Kent, on August 10, 2003.
PWS said summer 2010 will break records as El Nino, which warms the Pacific Ocean, combines with the effects of the Atlantic jet stream weather pattern and the Azores high pressure region.
Senior forecaster Jonathan Powell said: 'There will be stifling temperatures, making it possibly the warmest UK summer on record and placing it at least in the top three warmest summers recorded.'
He predicted 'dry spells with pleasant sunshine' and said the best time to book a holiday would probably be mid-July.
Mr Powell added: 'A very warm summer has been on the cards for some years, and the Met Office believed it was likely to happen last year. But now it is time to get the barbecue out - and people should be able to find a good deal on one after last year's Met Office forecast.'
Campaign for lighter evenings after clocks go forward at the start of British Summer Time
Britain's clocks could be changed to give an extra hour of evening daylight all year.
Labour and the Conservatives are believed to be in favour of moving clocks permanently forward by an hour, bringing the country in line with much of the rest of Europe.
Campaigners say longer, brighter evenings would make roads safer, cut energy bills and benefit tourism.
Health and morale would also receive a boost, with the injection of daylight cutting cases of Seasonal Affective Disorder or 'winter blues', and giving more time for outdoor exercise after work.
But calls for 'Double Summer Time' have proved deeply unpopular in Scotland, where the even darker winter mornings would make it more dangerous for youngsters travelling to school.
The UK's clocks are currently set to GMT during the winter and GMT+1, or British Summer Time, in the summer.
The change could be achieved by not turning the clocks back this autumn, after which the usual cycle of putting the clocks forward an hour in spring - like on Saturday night - and back an hour in autumn would resume.
This would mean the country's clocks would be set to GMT+1 in the winter and GMT+2, or Double Summer Time.
The change would bring the UK in line with France, Germany and other countries that follow Central European Time.
Both Labour and the Tories are reported to have been influenced by environmental, road safety and tourism campaigners, who have argued for the clocks to be put forward by an extra hour throughout the year.
Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw said the move would be 'good for business, good for tourism, good for the environment, improve safety and increase people's sense of wellbeing'.
Tory tourism spokesman Tobias Ellwood told the Observer that the arguments for change were 'more powerful than ever, with environmental, road safety, leisure, energy conservation and public safety advantages outweighing the disadvantages.'
But opposition remains strong in Scotland.
Angus MacNeil, SNP MP for the Outer Hebrides, said: 'While the plan would be beneficial for those in the south, in Scotland, the majority of people would prefer the extra hour of daylight in the morning.
'Children in my constituency should not have to go to school in the dark.'
Supporters of the plan say that Scottish schools could simply open later - or suggest that Scotland simply insist on sticking to the current time zone.
They also challenge the Scottish argument that Double Summer Time would lead to more accidents, pointing to research showing that the roads and pavements are busier after school than before.
This means that an increase in morning crashes would be more than offset by the lives saved by lighter evenings.
Double Summer Time was brought in during the Second World War to save on fuel consumption.
And between 1968 and 1971 the country experimented with staying on British Summer Time all year round.
There was a reduction in the overall number of deaths on the roads during the trial but it was not clear how much this could be attributed to tighter drink-driving rules.
There have been eight failed attempts to change clock times in the last 16 years.
A spokesman for the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, said that Britain had no plans to move to Central European Time.
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