Autumn arrives ushering out what has been a pretty miserable summer

After a lovely sunny and relatively warm weekend, autumn is due to arrive this week.

Although this time of year usually brings quite settled weather, it doesn’t mean there is nothing exciting to talk about it.

In fact, this week could see a dramatic turnaround in all things meteorological, with temperatures likely to hit a winter-like 0C (freezing) across much of the UK.

And with those chilly mercury readings should come the first frosts of winter, with much of the country set for some crispy white mornings.

Autumn doesn't officially start until the equinox on Saturday, but that doesn't mean it isn't going to start feeling a bit brisker and breezier.

The lowest temperatures will be over Scotland, where there is the greatest likelihood of ground frosts.

The beginning of the week will be dry, making it lovely,  sharp and crisp for those, like myself, who love wrapping up in the chilly autumn mornings.

The north-west is in for some showers from Thursday, although fingers crossed, the south should keep the dry weather.

Unfortunately though, no sign of a heat spike for the foreseeable.

Weather Channel meteorologist Leon Brown told me the UK can look forward to “a cool week ahead with some particularly chilly nights”.

He said: “Ground frosts overnight in rural areas this week and temperatures dipping below zero in sheltered parts of northern England Scotland on Thursday and Friday morning.

“Widespread ground frosts and local air frosts at dawn on Saturday (equinox), but fine and sunny during the day. Unsettled by next Sunday in the north and west with rain moving east.

“The rest of September to early October continuing cool and no high temperatures like last year when Cambridge reached 29.2C on 30th September and Gravesend 29.9C on 1st October.”

My good friend Jonathan Powell, of Vantage Weather Services, agreed we had turned the corner into autumn and there is some much chiller weather on the way.

He said: “We could see much cooler weather on the way from the middle of October.”

This week though, he said we might just get away with some morning mist and fog with heavy dew. We'll have to wait and see who is right.

The guys at Netweather said: “Showers still continuing across northern and western parts on Tuesday, though hopefully less frequent and heavy than today. 

“Otherwise a largely dry day elsewhere, with sunny spells, but feeling cool everywhere in the brisk northwesterly breeze. 

“More showers look likely across Scotland and NW England on Wednesday, mainly dry and bright elsewhere. 

“A band of rain looks to slide in across Northern Ireland, southern Scotland and northern England early on Thursday, then spreading further south across England and Wales during the day. 

“Brighter and drier for many areas on Friday.”

So as the nights draw in and we say goodbye to a pretty miserable summer, lets hope autumn has some delights in store.

Average temps this week:
North between 9C and 12C
South between 10C and 19C