Frost and sleet could soon be hitting the streets (Picture: Amer Ghazzal/REX/Shutterstock)

Hats – and maybe even thermals – at the ready, for an extra cold spell is set to hit the UK.

A polar air mass will soon sweep through the country, causing the mercury to plummet.

After an unseasonably warm autumn, forecasters say this weekend’s temperature will be ‘below average’.

High winds from Poland and Russia could lead to cold weather and downpours in the lead up to Christmas.

Snow showers in the coming weeks, if they do emerge, will be sporadic however.

For next week, the Met Office forecast: ‘At this time of year frost and fog are common, and the chance of these, along with below-normal temperatures and spells of wintry precipitation, is slightly higher than usual.

‘Conversely, heavy rain and strong winds are less likely than in a typical December.’

A polar airmass is working its way towards the United Kingdom (Picture: Metro.co.uk)

Brits are also likely to see the dreaded ‘Beast from the East wake up and stretch its claws’ in the run-up to Christmas.

Meteorologists have sounded weather alarm bells for December, threatening sub-zero temperatures across the country.

Jim Dale, founder and meteorological consultant at British Weather Services, told Metro.co.uk it is ‘becoming more likely we are going to see snow events’.

The UK has enjoyed an unseasonably warm autumn this year which has to date helped insulate people from rising energy costs.

Speculation is growing over a potential return of the Beast from the East (Picture: Peter Jolly/REX/Shutterstock)

But the upcoming chill could soon see many forced to confront the scale of price rises for the first time.

Peter Smith, the director of policy and advocacy at the fuel poverty charity National Energy Action, said: ‘The average annual bill has almost doubled since this time last year.

‘So far the milder than usual weather has protected many from the spiralling bills as they haven’t needed to heat their homes as high or as long as usual.

‘But as the temperatures fall we know that many people will either start building up unaffordable debt or will ration their energy – or self-disconnect completely. 

This will have a huge impact on both mental and physical health, especially for those with existing medical conditions. 

‘With 6.7m UK households in fuel poverty, this is the start of a bleak winter.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected].

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Thermals at the ready!