SPRING has officially sprung – but you wouldn't know it, as heavy rain marked the first day of the new season in Worcester.

Monday morning – the first day of Spring – saw heavy downpours drench the city, while sunshine followed for most of the afternoon.

Winter was due to make a chilly return overnight – with the mercury forecast to plummet to -2C.

Wintery showers are predicted to blight the county for most of this week, and there is even the chance of snow over the Malverns.

Paul Michaelwaite, of Pershore-based netweather.tv, said: "[It is] the first day of Spring and the weather is turning colder.

"Showers are going to turn a bit wintery overnight, with frost and wintery showers over the week."

The chilly spell is caused by cold fronts moving through on Monday – followed by icy blasts of air from the Canadian Arctic.

The turn in the weather coincides with figures published by water harvesting company Freeflush, which rank 63 UK cities by rainfall.

Topping the table is Cardiff, which sees 1,152mm of rain every year, while Worcester falls far down the list – coming in at a fairly dry 55th.

According to Met Office data, the city sees 606mm of rainfall every year, with a total of 114 rainy days.

Mr Michaelwaite said: "We are in what is called a 'rain shadow'. We are protected by the Welsh mountains, they take a massive chunk of the rain – by the time it gets to us it is more patchy. We are in a good spot."