Britain's coldest night of autumn arrives as Arctic air sends temperatures plunging to near-freezing across the UK

From the Newshound archive · first published 7 October 2026 · last updated 8 October 2026.

Wednesday night is set to be the coldest of the autumn so far, with Arctic air dragging temperatures to between 3C and 9C in towns and cities by Thursday dawn, and even lower in rural areas. Met Office meteorologist Claire Nasir warned Thursday morning "will turn cold wherever you are," ending a run of more than 115 consecutive days with at least one part of the UK reaching 20C. The plunge follows an unusually warm September that recorded a peak of 28.1C on 29 September, the joint-fourth warmest September ever.

Northern England and Scotland face their first frost of the season overnight, with grass frost likely on higher ground in eastern Scotland.

A band of 20 to 30mm of rain is sweeping England and Wales, offering some relief to drought-hit areas — but not enough to end it, with nearly three-quarters of England still in drought.

Scotland could see up to 5cm of snow on higher ground around October 20, with weather models linking the risk to a record-breaking El Niño weakening the polar vortex.