Cold weather is due to make a return to the UK this weekend – marking the start of a prolonged spell of freezing and potentially very snowy weather.
The Met Office told Yahoo! News on Friday that temperatures are set to plunge below freezing with a risk of snow and ice that could last well into the beginning of February.
Some northern parts of Britain woke up to snow on Friday and more of the white stuff is expected to push south eastwards throughout the day breaking the spell of unseasonably mild weather.
A severe weather warning is in force across most of the England, Wales and Scotland for ice and a risk of snow as far south as the East Midlands.
Over the weekend, the weather will remain dry and bright with daytime temperatures dipping to 5°C in the north and 6°C elsewhere – a marked drop from milder conditions the country has recently witnessed.
Forecasters have warned that overnight temperatures could plummet as low as -5°C in the north and -2°C in the south. By Tuesday, there is a risk of snow showers in London and the south east as warmer air from the Atlantic meets the cold mass air from Siberia.
According to meteorologists, cold air sweeping in from the continent is looking likely to dominate UK weather patterns over the next few weeks – with the chilliest of the weather expected to be in the east and south east.
Speaking with Yahoo! News, Met Office forecaster Dan Williams said: “At the moment, we are looking at two scenarios. We have milder air from the Atlantic battling for dominance against cold air from the continent over the UK in the first half of February. At the moment it looks likely that the cold air is winning – meaning prolonged periods of cold temperatures, a risk of snowfall and overnight frosts.”
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