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UK weather: Met Office warns 'wet snow' on its way as Britain hit by first flurries

<em>A crashed car, with an object protruding through the windscreen, sits abandoned on the A628 in the Peak District, as a blast of snow hits the north of England (PA)</em>
A crashed car, with an object protruding through the windscreen, sits abandoned on the A628 in the Peak District, as a blast of snow hits the north of England (PA)

Icy winds, plummeting temperatures and snow showers have hit parts of Britain, signalling that winter is very much on its way.

Some parts of the country woke up to snow for the first time this morning as flurries hit high ground on hills in northern England, Wales and Scotland. Snow also fell as far south as Brighton and Devil’s Dyke in the South Downs of Sussex.

A bitterly cold blast blowing in from eastern Europe saw rain, sleet and snow fall across Britain on Tuesday and the early hours of Wednesday.

Higher ground in the south west of England and Wales may see a possible dusting of snow on Wednesday according to the Met Office, with light snow reported to be falling in the Cotswolds.

In the south, motorists were warned showers and freezing temperatures meant a risk of ice on the roads on Wednesday.

<em>A road winds through snow covered fields near Hope Valley, Derbyshire (SWNS)</em>
A road winds through snow covered fields near Hope Valley, Derbyshire (SWNS)
<em>A van came off the road in snow on Snake Pass in the Peak District (SWNS)</em>
A van came off the road in snow on Snake Pass in the Peak District (SWNS)

Snow fell in Exmoor in south-west England and also across the Pennines in the north, while strong winds buffeted the coast.

People tweeted their own evidence of the snowfall overnight, including in Brighton and Cumbria.

However, despite the surprising snowfall in the south, a Met Office spokeswoman told Yahoo News that it is not set to stick around.

She said: “Snowfall across southern and central England is set to turn to rain throughout Wednesday.

“The cold weather will remain for the rest of the week and snow will continue on higher ground, but showers are likely to be wet snow.”

Wet snow’ is a higher density than fluffier, ‘dry snow’ but is ideal for building snowmen and snowballs.

She added that the snow in northern parts of the country is typical for the time of year.

Met Office senior meteorologist Simon Partridge added: “We will see further snow over the high ground in England and Scotland. But it will be fairly wet stuff so it won’t stay for long.”

Tuesday saw heavy rainfalls recorded in Yorkshire, with Hull receiving about 20mm over a 48-hour period.

<em>Snow covered trees in Hope Valley, Peak District (SWNS)</em>
Snow covered trees in Hope Valley, Peak District (SWNS)
<em>The coldest UK November temperatures in history (PA)</em>
The coldest UK November temperatures in history (PA)

The gusty winds, coming across from Russia and Poland, made the weather feel even colder after a warm summer and spring.

Meteorologists are working on a longer-term winter forecast, and they expect it could be a wet season.

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