January is on course to be the coldest for 37 years after temperatures in the first week of the month averaged minus 2.1 degrees.

Britain has not seen a snow-free day for four weeks, forecasters said.

Even discounting snowfall on Scottish mountains, it has snowed somewhere every day since December 17.

While a front of milder weather threatens to melt away the snow with the country returning to near normal conditions early next week – the snow and freezing temperatures could return by the following weekend.

Weathermen revealed in some parts of the country snow could be seen on the ground continuously since a week before Christmas with the North East and Suffolk blanketed with “continuous snow lying” since December 17.

Met Office figures showed the average temperature across Britain in the first week of January was minus 2.1 degrees C, which is five and a half degrees below the seasonal norm.

The current coldest January was 1963, with an overall average temperature of minus 1.8 degrees.

However forecasters are predicting a warmer end to the week.

Barry Gromett, of the Met Office, said that could prevent a record breaking month: “If the mean temperature for the first week of January stayed it would be very much the coldest January on record – even beating 1963 when it was minus 1.8.

“But it won’t remain that cold because we are now going into a warmer spell.”

He said: “It is unlikely to stay that cold, but it is going to be a very cold January.

“We will get rid of this snow today. Over the next couple of days, it will be dry for much of the country with some milder conditions across the country.

“There is a lot of snow in many parts but it is warming up.

“Next week seems to be a week of near normal conditions, although easterly fronts could bring colder weather and the risk of snow showers towards the end of the week.

“For the foreseeable future we have seen the back of the extreme cold and snowy conditions we have suffered for the last two weeks or so.”

However, he added that the arrival of warmer ‘Atlantic air’ could bring the risk of rain over the weekend.

Original Source – The Telegraph