The UK is set for a wet and windy weekend, which could also bring freezing -2C cold snaps, to mark the start of British Summer Time (BST) when the clocks spring forward.

Forecasters said the weekend will be “a story of two halves”, with settled periods of sunshine and some showers on Saturday before rain and cold weather on Sunday. A Met Office spokesperson said: “For Saturday, for many, it will be a fairly settled day of sunshine and showers. The primary showers will be in the far north west of the UK, but there will be good spells of sunshine and drier weather as well.

“Sunday, by difference, is a bit more unsettled, with another system moving in from the north west, bringing wind and rain spreading across the UK through the day.”

The UK as a whole is currently below average temperatures as “we’re still in a colder pool of air”, the spokesperson added. Rural parts of England can expect minus 2C temperatures and frost on Saturday night, with highs of 13C during the day.

Cooler air will persist further north in Scotland on Sunday and rural parts of the country could also see temperatures drop to minus 2C. But a warmer spell is on the way with above average spring temperatures expected by Monday night, the spokesperson said. For many, more light and warmer weather will be a welcome boost after a cold, wet winter. Met Office figures up to February 25 show that southern England had already had its seventh-wettest winter since records began in 1836.

The clock change will happen at 1am on March 29 when the UK will switch to BST, also known as Daylight Saving Time (DST).

From Sunday, the sun will rise an hour later, making for darker mornings, but as spring progresses, sunrise and sunset will stretch further apart and the days will feel longer. By the time of the summer solstice on June 21, daylight will be at its peak and in the far north of the UK there will be around 19 hours of daylight.

The Met Office was already warning of colder temperatures yesterday (March 25) saying they were “quite a shock to the system”. The forecaster also added there could be a risk of gusty winds, and cold nights with frost and ice possible in places.