After a chilly weekend in northern Europe, colder temperatures are expected to spread further south this week. The cold spell is due to a high-pressure area over the North Sea, which has allowed Arctic air to move southwards over the weekend and will continue to do so this week.

The cold first began to be felt in countries like Poland and Lithuania on Saturday, where temperatures were 10-15 degrees lower than the previous day. As the week progresses, the cold will spread more widely, with temperatures 5-10 degrees below average from Russia to Germany and as far south as Greece. This means that much of eastern Europe will have maximum temperatures in single digits, with even lower temperatures possible in mountainous regions.

Western Europe, on the other hand, will experience temperatures about 5 degrees higher than average due to a more southerly air flow. France and Spain will have daytime maximums in the mid- to high-20s, while highs in the UK will be in the mid-to-high- teens.

Meanwhile, the central and eastern US continue to experience severe weather, including thunderstorms, flooding, and tornadoes, with at least 16 reported deaths. However, a high-pressure system has developed to the west of the unsettled weather, bringing a cold plume from the north that pushed across southern states and into northern Mexico. This cold plume is expected to move eastwards this week, bringing some relief from the severe weather.

Across the Atlantic, a low-pressure system strengthened over the Canary Islands last week and was named Storm Nuria by the Spanish meteorological service, becoming the 14th named storm in Spain this season. The island of La Palma was the worst affected, with gusts of more than 60mph and over an inch of rain in an hour. Storm Nuria then moved towards Spain and Portugal, bringing more rain and strong winds.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/07/weather-tracker-arctic-air-chill-eastern-europe