'Beast from the East' cold blast could bring freezing weather until March

A blast of cold weather known as "Beast from the East" is set to send temperatures plummeting across the UK.The Met Office said a rare North Pole phenomenon called a "sudden stratospheric warming" will bring a prolonged spell of cold weather that could last into early March.Next week temperatures are expected to hit 1C or 2C (33F or 35F) for most of the country, and -5C (23F) at night.