London Marathon weather: Snow possible in parts of UK as temperatures drop by 20 degrees in 24 hours

Weather set to be cold and windy over the weekend, with snow in parts of the country

The weekend brings rain and cooler temperatures after a week of sunny speels (Getty )

A brief spell of warm weather has come to an abrupt end as temperatures plummet by 20 degrees in just 24 hours, bringing possible snow to parts of the UK.

Some areas of the country will see the temperature dropping to freezing this weekend, as Arctic air drives down the balmy temperatures of more than 20C during the week.

The Met Office warned that the weather over the next week would be "chilly with wintry showers", with snow predicted on high ground in Scotland and northern England, while frost, sleet and rain will feature alongside the colder weather.

It is in stark contrast to the warmer weather enjoyed by Brits over the past week, with the warmest day of the year so far taking place on 21 April, when a temperature of 20.3C was recorded in Porthmadog in Wales just two days before the predicted chill.

The Met Office tweeted it was officially the country’s hottest day of the year on Thursday but warned the situation was soon to change.

The colder weather, which is being caused by Arctic air, could be good news for London Marathon runners who have in previous years had to contend with temperatures of more than 22C in 2007 and 2004.

The Met Office tweeted that the runners would experience cold weather but would be unlikely to see snow on the run, with mainly dry conditions.

Temperatures could be as low as 4C when competitors gather in the early morning, rising to highs of 11C later in the day.

The forecast temperatures would make the marathon the coldest since 2008.