The Met Office has named every area of the UK set to see snow on Wednesday. A cold snap will blast the country next week, with possible snow showers in parts of the UK.

The forecaster has issued a new forecast map for Wednesday, March 25, showing that snow and wintry showers will fall across several areas. The Met Office said ‘much more unstable’ conditions will creep in from Wednesday, including snow over high ground, coastal winds and below-average temperatures. Areas set for up to 4cm of snow based on the Met Office’s snow maps include northern Scotland (Wick, X), central Scotland (Inverness, Aberdeen, Fort William) and Northern Ireland (Belfast). Also set to see snow are the north of England (Carlisle, Manchester, Leeds), and Wales (Cardiff, Conwy). The Met Office said in its latest forecast: “Early next week, a more mobile Atlantic pattern develops, with rain spreading into northern and western areas on Monday and Tuesday, occasionally turning to snow over the Scottish mountains. Stronger winds are expected in the north, with coastal gales at times.

“By Wednesday, the UK will be in a cooler and more unstable north‑to‑north-westerly flow, bringing frequent showers, some heavy and wintry over higher ground.

“Snow could possibly reach lower levels in the north later in the day. Temperatures will be near or a little below average.”

Met Office Chief Forecaster, Steve Willington, said: “While the early part of the period brings warm sunshine for many, it’s not unusual to see colder spells and even some wintry showers in March.

“As we head into next week, a shift to a cooler north‑westerly flow will bring a drop in temperature and more unsettled weather, including some hill snow in the north and brisk winds at times. This pattern is entirely typical for the time of year.”

This week, the UK enjoyed warmer weather, including the hottest day of the year so far on Wednesday, with temperatures peaking at 21C in Goggerdan in Wales.

Temperature fluctuations are normal for this time of year, where mild conditions swap with chillier blasts just as the clocks change, which will happen next weekend.