UK weather forecast: Met Office warns of 'thundersnow' as it issues ice warnings amid freezing temperatures

Thundersnow could strike the UK this week as temperatures plummet below zero and forecasters issue ice warnings for large swathes of the country.

Weather alerts for snow and ice have been issued by the Met Office for most of UK, with wintery conditions likely to cause disruption for road and rail users on Tuesday morning.

Forecasters have also warned of so-called thundersnow, which is an unusual phenomenon that normally only occurs during a few months of the year.

The western Highlands are expected to face the brunt of the snow, with some areas above 500m facing up to almost 10cm of the white stuff, the Met Office said.

Simon Partridge, of the Met Office, said: "Some snow could be seen on the lower levels, so it's not exclusively left to the high ground - but it could end up being rain, snow, rain.

"So, on and off there could be snow from now until the early hours of Wednesday for the west of Scotland, and the best part of 24 hours."

Wintry showers are on the way for northern and western parts of the country, where some outbreaks of thunder and lighting and heavy snow could be seen.

A Met Office spokeswoman told Sky News: “When thunderstorms form in wintry conditions, they can sometimes give rise to heavy downpours of snow, along with the usual thunder and lightning, so it is called thundersnow.

"It is considered unusual because it can only really occur during a few months of the year."

Temperatures in the early hours on Tuesday were expected drop to as low as minus 2C (28.4F) in Pitlochry while Southampton may see highs of 7C (44.6F).

Mr Partridge added: "The main problem is that skies become clear so there's an ice risk after midnight which could cause some big issues during the overnight period.

"There'll be further showers tomorrow with some hail and sleet along the coasts, on the hills and mountains you can see it turning into snow."