Get ready for the Big Freeze! ‘Arctic swell’ will see temperatures plummet to -9C

An ‘Arctic swell’ brought -9C temperatures to parts of the country last night as bitterly cold air swept in from the North Pole. 

The UK is now set to be hit by more flooding with two inches of rain expected to fall starting in the west tomorrow, with other parts including flood-hit Yorkshire affected from Thursday.

The flooding comes after intense snowfall, which hit the west on Wednesday, making it England’s earliest snow for the past 11 years.

Britain is currently colder than Helsinki in Finland, as polar air blows into Britain bringing -3C nights.

Monday is tipped to be the coldest day of the autumn so far for England and Scotland, with the Met Office warning that in Scotland temperatures will plummet below -8C.

An ‘Arctic swell’ brought-9C temperatures to parts of the country last night. Pictured: Heavy snow made roads in Exmoor impassable on Thursday

Britain is currently colder than Helsinki in Finland, as polar air blows into Britain bringing -3C nights. Pictured: snow in Exmoor earlier this week

Britain is currently colder than Helsinki in Finland, as polar air blows into Britain bringing -3C nights. Pictured: snow in Exmoor earlier this week 

Monday is tipped to be the coldest day of the autumn so far for England and Scotland, with the Met Office warning that in Scotland temperatures will plummet below 8C. Pictured: Exmoor earlier this week

Monday is tipped to be the coldest day of the autumn so far for England and Scotland, with the Met Office warning that in Scotland temperatures will plummet below 8C. Pictured: Exmoor earlier this week 

Pictured today: Floods in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, where the river Avon and Severn burst their banks. The UK is also set to be hit by more flooding with two inches' of rain expected to fall starting in the west on Tuesday

Pictured today: Floods in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, where the river Avon and Severn burst their banks. The UK is also set to be hit by more flooding with two inches’ of rain expected to fall starting in the west on Tuesday

An aerial view of the market town of Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire today where the river Avon and Severn have burst their banks following the last few days of heavy rain

An aerial view of the market town of Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire today where the river Avon and Severn have burst their banks following the last few days of heavy rain

A Land Rover wades through floodwaters near the village of Lower Apperley in Gloucestershire after the River Severn flooded the B4213 between Lower Apperley and Tirley

A Land Rover wades through floodwaters near the village of Lower Apperley in Gloucestershire after the River Severn flooded the B4213 between Lower Apperley and Tirley

The 400-mile wide 'Arctic swell' is shown blowing to Britain, bringing temperatures of -9C (16F) - the coldest night of autumn so far

The 400-mile wide ‘Arctic swell’ is shown blowing to Britain, bringing temperatures of -9C (16F) – the coldest night of autumn so far 

At the start of the week temperatures in England are expected to drop to a chilly -6C in the north and -3C in the south while the north faces snow flurries on higher ground. Pictured: Exmoor on Thursday this week

At the start of the week temperatures in England are expected to drop to a chilly -6C in the north and -3C in the south while the north faces snow flurries on higher ground. Pictured: Exmoor on Thursday this week 

There is also a ‘risk of seeing a very cold start’ on Tuesday, according to Meteorologist Sophie Yeomans from the Met Office, with potential temperatures of -5C. 

At the start of the week temperatures in England are expected to drop to a chilly -6C in the north and -3C in the south while the north faces snow flurries on higher ground. 

The Met Office said: ‘Monday night could be the coldest night of autumn in Scotland and England, exceeding -8.1C in Scotland and down to -6C in northern England.’

They added that snow showers could be seen on higher ground of Scotland, with a bit of snow over northern England too. 

The village of Eckington near Pershore, where surrounding fields were still flooded today after the Avon deluged its floodplain

The village of Eckington near Pershore, where surrounding fields were still flooded today after the Avon deluged its floodplain

The astonishing landscape of flooded fields near Forthampton in Gloucester today, where sunlight piercing through the morning gloom created an almost unearthly scene

The astonishing landscape of flooded fields near Forthampton in Gloucester today, where sunlight piercing through the morning gloom created an almost unearthly scene 

A Warburtons bread van is stranded in deep water near the village of Eckington in Gloucestershire, which has suffered badly in recent days

A Warburtons bread van is stranded in deep water near the village of Eckington in Gloucestershire, which has suffered badly in recent days 

The A4213 in Tirley near Tewkesbury, which is now lying beneath several feet of floodwater, leaving it impassable to transport

The A4213 in Tirley near Tewkesbury, which is now lying beneath several feet of floodwater, leaving it impassable to transport 

This astonishing image taken near Tewkesbury show how the higher ground has escaped the floodwaters, while the foreground is covered

This astonishing image taken near Tewkesbury show how the higher ground has escaped the floodwaters, while the foreground is covered 

Large parts of the country remain mired in floods as experts warn the chaos could continue until Tuesday

Large parts of the country remain mired in floods as experts warn the chaos could continue until Tuesday 

The ancient market town of Tewkesbury in Gloucester, where floodwaters left the abbey and town centre a rare dry island in the boggy landscape 

The Met Office said its Sheffield weather station has recorded its wettest ever autumn. Pictured is a flooded road near Tewkesbury

The Met Office said its Sheffield weather station has recorded its wettest ever autumn. Pictured is a flooded road near Tewkesbury 

The EA for Yorkshire and the North East said there is still lots of flood water in the region, and a pumping operation is under way to reduce water levels

 The EA for Yorkshire and the North East said there is still lots of flood water in the region, and a pumping operation is under way to reduce water levels

Flood scenes near Tewkesbury, where the river (left, where the boats are) has become virtually indistinguishable from the flooded fields

Flood scenes near Tewkesbury, where the river (left, where the boats are) has become virtually indistinguishable from the flooded fields 

The weather later into the week is then set to remain unsettled with bands of rain expected into the following week.

Large parts of the country remain mired in floods as experts warn the chaos could continue until Tuesday.

In a forecast of the flooding risk in England and Wales, the Environment Agency said: ‘River flooding is expected to continue in the Lower River Don washlands area in South Yorkshire through to at least Tuesday, where properties will continue to flood and there will be continued travel disruption.’ 

The rivers Severn and Avon have burst their banks leaving properties waterlogged in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire, while residents in the Midlands and Yorkshire are still battling to clear their homes.

Communities in parts of central and northern England continued the clean-up after being overwhelmed with water following torrential rain in recent days.

The EA for Yorkshire and the North East said there is still lots of flood water in the region, and a pumping operation is under way to reduce water levels.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk