Snow fans will see their first winter flurries within the next few days [PA]
Anyone who has stepped outside over the past two days will have noticed it has already turned much colder.
Of course this is not unusual as we are now comfortably into November with winter just a couple of weeks away.
But the outlooks all seem to be pointing at a much more dramatic drop in the mercury over the next week with below-average temperatures on the way.
Forecasters warn the first proper big chill of winter is expected to hit as early as Wednesday with cold air sweeping in from the North Pole.
The North will take the first hit with up to four inches of snow on high ground while hilly parts of the South could also see flurries.
Mountainous regions are already under a couple of inches with communities in Cumbria and Durham digging out cars and sweeping pathways.
There has been much talk of a ‘Polar plunge’ next week with a bank of cold air due to arrive from the North Pole.
So apart from it just being close to winter, what is going on to bring about this dramatic change in weather?
The outlooks all seem to be pointing at a much more dramatic drop in the mercury over the next week [PA]
The North will take the first hit with up to four inches of snow on high ground while hilly parts of the South could also see flurries
Met Office forecaster Helen Chivers said it is going to turn colder on Thursday, before getting slightly milder on Friday ahead of the real chilly stuff next week.
The reason for this is an area of low pressure to the north of Scotland which is moving in an easterly direction.
Cold air from the North Pole tends to circulate around low pressure in an anti-clockwise direction, so it is drawn into the UK as the system moves.
It also carries wintry showers and turns rain to sleet and snow as it meets air over the UK.
As the low pressure is to the North of Scotland, it is this part of the UK which will take the first hit as the cold weather arrives.
However, all of the UK is set to turn much colder as this air moves southwards through the country.
So the verdict seems to be, if the hats, scarfs and gloves are still tucked away from last year, next week will be the time to dig them out.
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