Snow warning for Wales after record warmth

The Met Office has issued a warning for snow in parts of Wales - just a week after the country experienced record-breaking warm temperatures.

Arctic winds will bring a drop in temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday, with snow forecast for the hills, particularly in mid and north Wales.

BBC Wales meteorologist Derek Brockway said high winds were also expected.

It comes after the country experienced the warmest March since 1957, with temperatures reaching highs of 22C.

The Met Office warning said that rain was expected to turn to snow on high ground as colder air moves south across England and Wales on Wednesday and Thursday.

Last week it was beach and picnic weather with record breaking temperatures as high as 22C but on Wednesday temperatures will struggle to reach 4C.

Of course, snow is not unusual in April. In fact it's more common to have a white Easter than a white Christmas.

But the cold snap will come as a shock to the system given how unusually warm it was in March.

Some plants, trees, animals and wildlife are likely to suffer but thankfully the cold snap will be short-lived.

"Some 2 to 5cm (1 to 2 inches) of snow is likely in places, mainly above around 200m (600ft) with as much as 10 to 15cm (4 to 6 inches) possible above 300m (1000ft)," it said.

"Little, if any, snow is expected to accumulate on roads and pavements below 200m. The area of rain, sleet and snow will clear from the north during Wednesday."

Mr Brockway said temperatures could struggle to reach of 4C in some places, with the hills of Powys, the Brecon Beacons and Black Mountains likely to get a fair covering of snow on Wednesday.

He added that lower lying land and coastal areas were more likely to have rain or sleet.

"Wales is facing a wintry mix of rain and snow in the next 24 hours, while strong to gale force north-easterly winds will make it feel bitterly cold with a significant wind chill," he said.

"Not everywhere will have snow - most of it will be on the higher ground.

"This could cause a few problems on the higher routes with blizzards on the mountains."

But he added that the cold snap is predicted to be short-lived and temperatures will rise again on Thursday and Friday.

Easter weekend will probably be mixed, with a little rain and sunshine, and temperatures around average.

The Welsh Local Government Association said councils were prepared for any bad weather.

"Local authorities were well stocked up on salt and in a strong position before entering the winter period," said a spokesperson.

"After a mild winter, salt stocks have remained high and local authorities are well prepared for any forthcoming colder weather."

In Scotland, April snow came a week after parts of the country also experienced a record-breaking warm March.

A week ago the temperature in the Aberdeenshire town of Aboyne reached 23.6C - the warmest March day on record.

The high in Aboyne on Tuesday was not expected to rise above 2C.