Cold weather maps show exact date brutal 0C freeze hits UK - 8 coldest cities

Temperatures looks set to plunge to 0C later this month, with several major cities in the low single digits, maps suggest. Forecast data collected by WXCHARTS.COM shows large parts of the country experiencing teeth-chatteringly chilly conditions on the morning of Saturday, October 18.

A map showing minimum temperatures at midnight UTC (1am BST) shows the mercury falling to between 1 and 0 °C for much of Wales, and down to 1C for some areas in the upper half of Scotland. Meanwhile, much of England looks set to see the lowest temperatures ranging between 2 and 7C.

Bitterly cold temperatures look set to persist through to 12am UTC (1pm BST).

Major cities in England set for the lowest temperatures at various points during this period include:

• Birmingham - 3C
• Stoke - 2C
• Cardiff - 2C
• Leeds - between 3-6C

In Northern Ireland, the capital Belfast could drop as low as 4C, maps suggest, with lows ranging from around 4 to 7C.

The coldest major cities in Scotland could see temperatures as low as 3C that morning. The ones seeing the mercury drop lowest include:

• Dundee - 3C
• Glasgow - 2-3C
• Edinburgh - 4C

Large parts of Scotland east of Fort William could experience lows of 1C during the period, as grim conditions cover the UK.

Some major cities, like London and Norwich, would be above 5C - though only a handful of areas on the coast of southern England will see minimums of 10C, the maps suggest.

According to the Met Office's long-range forecast, covering Thursday, October 9, through Saturday, October 18, on Thursday, "the south of the UK will see residual patchy light rain and drizzle clear to the southeast during the day, with skies then brightening."

"The north of the UK, especially northwest Scotland, will also see some rain and drizzle, and it will be rather windy here," while the rest of the country "will be dry and bright with some sunshine and fairly light winds".

"Thereafter, high pressure is expected to dominate for most if not all of the rest of the period, bringing plenty of dry, settled weather," it predicts.

"Cloud amounts will be variable, and some overnight fog is likely, this slowly clearing through the morning. Thicker cloud and some rain may affect the far north at times though. Temperatures will be near average, but with some chilly nights possible."

Then from Sunday October 19 to Sunday, November 2, the Met Office currently anticipates that the second half of the month will "likely see a transition to more widely unsettled conditions again, though the timing of this is uncertain".

"Whether this takes the form of successive depressions moving in from the Atlantic or a rather slower-evolving weather pattern remains to be seen, but there is a greater chance of more places seeing more frequent spells of rain or showers and possibly strong winds later in the month, these conditions continuing into the start of November," it says, adding: "Temperatures will probably be close to average overall."

Meanwhile Met Office has issued a number of weather warnings in northern England, Scotland, and Wales for wind and rain.

These include amber warnings for win in parts of Scotland with the weather service also adding that power cuts, damage to buildings and travel disruption are likely.

You can follow updates on our live blog, and get the latest official guidance on the Met Office website.