As this cold air descends over the UK on Tuesday, northern Scotland will experience the first signs of this wintry weather, with daytime temperatures barely above freezing alongside some possible snow and sleet all day. The cold front will move further south during Wednesday, dropping temperatures well below the seasonal norm. On Thursday and Friday temperatures are expected to be more than 5C below average in many places, resulting in widespread frost and possibly snow. The cold is expected to last until the weekend, although a low pressure system will move into next week which could initially bring sleet and snow to many parts of the UK, after which temperatures are expected to gradually rise more close to average. Most of western Europe will also experience wintry weather. In Norway, Sweden and Ireland, temperatures will drop during the first half of the week, up to 10C below the seasonal norm in some places. By the latter part of the week, this icy blast will have traveled southwest into parts of France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. During the weekend, this cold air mass, combined with an area of ​​low pressure moving eastward over Europe, may bring significant snowfall to many parts of western Europe. The most important stories on the planet. Get all the week’s environmental news – the good, the bad and the must-haves Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. In contrast, central parts of South America are braced for a heat wave affecting northern Argentina, Paraguay and southeastern Bolivia. High temperatures are expected to arrive on Tuesday, climbing to 10C above the seasonal norm. By Wednesday afternoon, this anomaly will be more widespread, with some areas reaching 47C on Thursday – 15C above average for the time of year. The heat wave will begin to ease on Saturday, although temperatures will remain well above average.