UK cold weather maps show exact areas facing brunt of freezing sub-zero Arctic blast

Temperatures in the UK are set to plummet next week as a blast of Arctic air makes its way south and envelopes the country.

According to recent weather maps, early morning temperatures could drop to as low as minus one degree on Saturday 28.

The weather front could even bring snow to parts of the Scottish Highlands as the unseasonably warm month comes to an abrupt end.

The maps from WXCharts.com show the UK engulfed in blue, indicating the sub-zero temperatures which could be as low as 0C in parts of Scotland.

The Met Office has said that it expects unsettled weather to hit from the middle of next week with "spells of wind and rain in many areas, but perhaps interspersed with occasional drier and brighter interludes" expected.

The Arctic weather is expected to bring snow to parts of Scotland, with other maps from WXCharts.com showing a distinct purple patch of weather over the Highlands, indicating that as much as 1cm per hour could fall from Friday, September 27.

The announcement of the Arctic weather could not come at a worse time, just a week following an attempt to prevent the government withdrawing the winter fuel payment failed.

The policy will see millions of pensioners lose their £300 payment intended to help towards the cost of heating their homes during the winter.

It is not expected that snow will fall elsewhere in the UK meaning that the sledge and snowman carrots will have to remain where they are for the time being at least.

Temperatures will increase throughout the day, returning to around average for the time of year by mid-morning.

The beginning of October is set to see typical autumnal weather settle in the UK according to the Met Office's long-range forecast.

It said: "Typical autumn weather will probably affect the UK with a mix of weather types through the first half of October.

"Periods of unsettled conditions, with wind and rain at times, will likely be interspersed with shorter spells of calmer and drier weather."