Politics
Britain is lit up by stunning red skies before snow set to return at Easter
RUBY red skies glowed above the UK as the country is set for a white Easter with forecasters warning more snow is on the way.
Weather charts show a 270-mile ‘snow bomb’ is on course to hit parts of Britain next month – after an 18C warm spell.
Read our UK weather live blog for the very latest news and forecasts...
A dash of purple, red and pink skies above Ryde on the Isle of Wight[/caption]
A plane flies under a red sky at sunset in Isleworth, London[/caption]
Beautiful skies for an evening walk in Sheerness, Kent[/caption]
Forecasters are predicting snow for Easter[/caption]
For many, the red sky at night often brings the hope that the following day will be a pleasant one.
The fiery skies make for a beautiful photograph, often with the silhouette of trees or long grass adding to the aesthetic.
However, experts say the cloud of dirty air could pose a risk to those with asthma.
Weather conditions such as dust, air pollution, thunderstorms and plunging temperatures are all known to be triggers for asthma attacks.
Campaigners have previously warned that Saharan dust could pose a serious risk to the 5.4 million people in the UK with asthma.
People with respiratory problems are advised to stay indoors and be aware that the dust cloud could worsen their symptoms, including shortness of breath and wheezing, according to doctors.
But it seems the red sunsets won’t last long as WX Charts predicts a band of snow – stretching from Norfolk to Dorset – could blanket some areas.
It would mean Birmingham, parts of the West Midlands and Wales, Gloucestershire, parts of Somerset, Bristol and Dorset, could see the white stuff from March 9.
And the wintry weather could continue into April, with the Met Office saying “a white Easter is more likely than a white Christmas”.
Meteorologist Grahame Madge told SomersetLive: “It’s possible that we could get snow in March.
“In fact, it’s more likely we will get snow in March than in December.”
He added: “I can see the weather system that is causing the excitement, but it’s too far away and too uncertain to have any indication yet.
“It is unlikely to see an easterly weather front coming across, but a white Easter is more likely than a white Christmas.”
A lighthouse in Tynemouth, North Shields stands tall against a striped background[/caption]
It comes after Brits basked in sunshine on the hottest day of the year so far on Wednesday – just weeks after the country was battered with snow, wind and torrential rain.
Temperatures hit 18C on Wednesday, making parts of the UK hotter than Madrid.
Forecasters said it the weather showed “the first signs of spring”, with some places experiencing weather more like May than February.
Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said it was a “noticeable change from what we’ve had in recent weeks”.
Top temperatures so far are in Cardiff where it reached 13.3C at lunchtime, according to the Met Office.
And more sunshine is predicted for the end of the working week, with sunshine and mild temperatures again reaching up to 15C across the UK.
Mr Claydon said: “It will feel more like spring, especially in the sunshine.”
The unseasonably warm weather is the result of air being blown up from north Africa and Spain, forecasters have said.
BBC forecaster Chris Fawkes said: “The weather in the UK has gone from something like being stuck in a deep freezer to something unusually warm.
“With air coming up from north Africa and Spain across England and Wales that’s where the temperatures are at their most unusual.
“Temperatures will probably reach 18C across parts of east of England which is very unusual for February.”
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Only two weeks ago a big freeze sparked travel chaos and banks of snow were said to be 70cm tall in some areas, or waist-deep.
Temperatures plunged to -23C, making it the coldest night in 26 years.
The cold snap even saw the River Thames freeze over for the first time in 60 years as the Beast from the East 2 continued to blast Britain.
