Snowfall hit Cheltenham on Wednesday morning, just three days after a sunny Sunday when temperatures in the region reached 18C.
Some parts of the UK were warmer than Barcelona and the Costa del Sol at the weekend.
However, there are now fears that the Cheltenham Festival could be disrupted after snow fell on the racecourse overnight.
Temperatures in the region are forecast to drop below freezing by the weekend, bringing the so-called “Spring of Fools” to an end.
“Spring of Fools” is a period when warm days quickly give way to cold weather, which often occurs in March or April.
Oli Claydon, a spokesman for the Met Office, said: “Last night there was rain and low temperatures which eventually turned to snow.
“We expect this pattern to continue over the next few days, with rain continuing across the north-east and Scotland.
“There will also be a front moving through on Friday which could bring snow to large parts of Scotland, with wintry showers possible in the highest parts of Ireland.”
Cheltenham track official John Pullin told ITV Racing on Wednesday: “We took a number of precautions last night as there was expected to be a slight frost.
“The temperature briefly dropped to minus two degrees, so we took some precautions during takeoff and landing to ensure comfortable conditions this morning.”
Temperatures are forecast to rise to 7°C by the 1:20pm start of racing, but night frosts will persist throughout the festival.
Mr Pullin added: “It will be quite cold again from Thursday to Friday so we'll see how things develop but it should be dry from now on.”
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
