A freezing Arctic blast of snow and ice covering more than 350 miles is set to barrel into Britain in a matter of days as a sharp reminder it's not supposed to be that sunny here, according to the latest live weather charts. Much of the country has enjoyed a lingering weather system coming from the continent which has brought unbroken sunshine to many of us for the past couple of weeks.

But in stark reminder from Mother Nature that the UK is not the Caribbean, a huge mass of cold of air could arrive from Wednesday, April 16, sending temperatures crashing down to as low as minus 6C in parts of Scotland. The chilly temperatures will be coupled with a high chance of snowfall landing on central and western Scotland, with parts of the Highlands seeing several centimetres falling every hour, the maps suggest.

England won't escape the cold conditions as parts of Cumbria and the Lake District may also see a flurry, according to weather maps from forecasters, WXCharts, which are compiled using data from the Metdesk.

According to the Met Office forecast, however, some parts of Scotland should expect stormy weather in the coming days, in addition to snow.

A prediction for the Highlands and Eilean Siar region said the week will start on Monday with "a mixture of sunny intervals and showers, some on the heavy side with hail and thunder, and snow on the mountains".

It added that from Tuesday to Thursday there would be "night frosts" and "a bright few days with some sunny spells, along with one or two showers. A small chance of some more persistent rain in the east".

The Met Office has warned the UK as a whole faced "mixed bag" this, with a drop in temperatures and rain expected.

Warm weather is expected to make way for downpours and cooler temperatures throughout the week, while snow could fall on mountaintops. The change could be a relief for some areas of the UK, with firefighters battling large wildfires amid the recent dry weather.

Met Office spokesman Craig Snell said next week will be a "mixed bag". He said. "It is going to be a more changeable week this week compared to what we have been used to for the last two to three weeks.

"High pressure has gone away now and we're just going to be firmly under the influence of low pressure as we go through the week ahead.

"It's not going to be a complete washout - we will see some further sunnier moments, but most of the UK will see some rain at some point.

"Compared to the day-on-day blue skies we had last week it is going to feel very different during the week ahead."

This Evening and Tonight:

Mixture of clear spells and showers, these still most prominent in the west, perhaps with some hail and thunder at times. Eastern areas likely to remain largely drier. A chilly night with a slight frost in sheltered rural spots.

Monday:

More organised band of showers moves eastwards before stalling across parts of Britain. Some locally heavy rain with a risk of thunder. Drier and warmer to the southeast.

Outlook for Tuesday to Thursday:

Staying changeable with sunny spells and further showers, perhaps heavy and at times merging into longer periods of rain. Temperatures near the seasonal average, though chilly at night.