BRITAIN is set to shiver again as the cold weather which caused death and destruction earlier this month returns for Easter.
Forecasters say temperatures will plunge to -4C tonight in most regions, with snow expected in Scotland and Wales by Thursday.
The Met Office is warning people to prepare for some "nasty weather" as the holiday weekend approaches, but are not predicting another Beast from the East-style storm.
Forecaster Steven Keates said: "There will certainly be a nip in the air. After the warmer temperatures we've been experiencing over the last two days, it will feel significantly colder throughout the UK.
"There's some nasty weather ahead, which isn't ideal for Easter. Temperatures will be around four degrees lower than the seasonal average, with heavy rain expected in most parts of the country from Wednesday onward.
"We can expect temperatures to dip to -4C overnight tonight, with a misty start to Monday morning."
He said Scotland will bear the brunt of the cold snap, with several inches of snow expected in mountainous regions.
He added: "There'll be significant snowfall in the mountains in the north and east of Scotland. There could also be some snow showers over high ground in Wales. At the moment there are no warnings in place but that could change as the week progresses."
The return of the freeze could cause travel disruption over the Easter weekend, just as thousands of Brits hit the roads for the Bank holiday.
Planned train strikes over weekend will put even more pressure on the roads, as travellers have no option but to drive.
RAC traffic spokesman Rod Dennis said Easter is due to be one of the busiest travel times of the year.
He warned: "But if people are hoping for spring-like warmth to accompany the longer days, they might well be disappointed.
“With a distinctly wintry feel to the weather persisting right up to Easter itself, millions of families will be need to make sure they still bundle their hats and thick coats as they pack up the car so they don’t get caught out."
Even more wintry weather will be continuing into April as well, although it is not expected to be quite as dramatic and heavy as the snow seen in the last few weeks.
The chief meteorologist at the Weather Channel, Todd Crawford, warned that more snow and freezing conditions could hit the country, with at least one big cold spell looming.
Forecaster Amy Hodgson said the polar vortex split which happened last month is still responsible for the recent spate of freezing weather.
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She said: "For April, we expect temperatures to remain below normal across northern Europe.”
Analysts have said the extreme weather in February and March could hit UK economic growth for the first three months of the year because of disruption to transport networks and fewer people going shopping.
At least 10 people died in the UK as a result of the freezing weather, which saw blizzard conditions, rural communities cut off and temperatures falling as low as -10C.
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