UK election weather forecast: Britain braced for ice and rain as country votes on polling day

The UK is braced for a cold and wet general election as forecasters issued weather warnings for the day Britain heads to the polls.

Yellow warnings for ice are in place in Scotland until 10am on Thursday, with a chance of a dusting of snow along highest points.

Voting starts 7am, when the sun will still be down and freezing temperatures will be gripping the entire country.

London, Aberdeen and Cambridge will start the day with 0C temperatures, while Manchester, Newcastle and Birmingham will likely stretch to just one degree above.

South west parts of the country will be a little milder, forecasters said, while Plymouth will see lows of three degrees.

Skies in the UK will start off dry but cloudy, but as the day progresses a front of rain will move in from the west and douse the voting public.

Oli Claydon, a Met Office forecaster, told the Standard: “On Thursday it will be wet, windy and feeling chilly. The day will start dry but cloudy, especially in the east.

“Then it will become wet and breezy as a front moves from the west. Behind that it will be clear with showers during the evening.”

Temperatures will struggle to get out of the single figures, with London forecasted to hit nine degrees, and Plymouth could see the mercury hit 11.

Winds could hit 12 knots - roughly 30 miles per hour - and there could be as much as 10mm of rain in some areas.

On Friday, the UK could wake up to a new government, but the weather will be more of the same.

Mr Claydon added: “On Friday it will continue to be unsettled, wet and windy. The rainy showers from Thursday will continue across the country.”