From the Daily Torygraph
Up to three inches’ snow fell over the Highlands on Thursday after -5C overnight lows on Cairngorm, with lunchtime temperatures of 4C in parts of Scotland and 6-8C in the North.
MeteoGroup forecaster Nick Prebble said: “Umbrellas have been needed through an unsettled week, with below-average temperatures in the North.”
The North will be colder on Friday at 5-7C, with two inches more snow due in Scotland’s Highlands.
Met Office forecaster Charlie Powell said: “Sleet and snow were reported across Scottish mountains. There will be a north-south divide until next week, with the North drier and the South cloudier with rain but higher temperatures.”
The mercury is colder than February’s usual 7C highs, and up to 10C colder than May’s normal 16C peaks.
The Midlands will this weekend be 9C colder than the 18.7C at Coleshill, Birmingham, on February 23.
Britain claimed a Polar double two weeks from summer as the country is colder than the Arctic and even the Antarctic – where it is winter.
The Arctic town of Berlevag – one of Europe’s most northerly settlements, on the northern tip of Norway – hit 16C yesterday
On Wednesday, temperatures fell to -5C in Scotland and -1C in Dorset, lower than the San Martin Antarctic research station, which – despite only three hours’ sunlight – fell to only 1C overnight.
The Met Office said the South would reach 19C next week but predicted “unsettled, changeable” weather until at least June 14, meaning showers could dampen Diamond Jubilee celebrations from June 3-5.
Forecasters say the chilly spring washout is due to warm high-altitude Atlantic jet stream winds swinging south – delivering a heatwave to southern Europe while Britain is hit by soggy low pressure and cold air from the Arctic.
Tallbloke's Talkshop 
Farmers have always known that weather and climate change, a knowledge which seems hard
to grasp for some climatologists.
On May 12th 1995 20 cm snow fell in the Stockholm area and on the 14th 20 cm more snow.
I remember it since I had arranged an outdoor party with plenty of guests on the 13th.
It was just time to cut the grass for the first time.
25 eyars earlieer it was +25C on the same day and a nice sunshine.
Cold weather is mostly produced by cold surface winds moving southwards as the late professor Marcel Leroux has explained (Mobile Polar Highs when they are extreme). It happens intermittently both during all seasons for unknown reasons but mostly during winters. The 1899 blizzard in US might be the most known example.
Forecasters say the chilly spring washout is due to warm high-altitude Atlantic jet stream winds swinging south – delivering a heatwave to southern Europe while Britain is hit by soggy low pressure and cold air from the Arctic
This is very very typical of UK MET Off speak. They never, never can get to the source of a weather situation. Here they say the jetstream has moved south. Yes, well, we all know that but WHY ? They never get to the why and I’d love to know where this heatwave in southern europe is. Here in SW France we expect the same amount of sun-hours /year as Nice and I’m usually in shorts long before now (not a pretty sight I might add) but I’m still in jeans and thick winter shirts.
What altitude are you at Stephen?
Perhaps the changes in level of solar activity during SC24 are starting to have an impact on UK weather. So far in 2012 – nice warm March, horrid record-breaking wet April, and are now into a very cool May. Hope things start perking up in June, as my vegetables aren’t doing well this year.
This is an interesting explanation of the solar activity / weather link from Piers Corybyn…
In Australia before we could afford airconditioning we used fans to cool us down. It is my understanding that in England and Scotland you are and have built huge fans to mitigate global warming.
It is probably time to send a thanks to your farsighted government as these fans are working better than predicted, and, it is possibly nearing the point when you should ask them to turn them off.