'Beast from the East': Met Office warns of 'potential risk to life' with heavy snow forecast

The Met Office has warned of a "potential risk to life" as heavy snow is expected to hit most of the UK in the coming days.

Freezing weather sweeping in from Russia - known as "The Beast from the East" - is set to cause travel disruption and power cuts as Britain faces its coldest February week in five years.

Severe weather warnings have been issued for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with 20cm of snow predicted in places.

Temperatures are expected to drop close to -15C (5F) in some areas and forecasters say the icy conditions could last until the middle of March.

A yellow "be aware" warning is in place for Monday in eastern England, the Midlands, Yorkshire, the North East and London, with five to 10cm of snow expected.

A more severe amber alert - meaning there is a "potential risk to life and property" - has been issued on Tuesday for eastern England, the South East and London, Yorkshire, the Midlands and the North East, when up to 15cm of snow is predicted.

An amber alert for snow is also in place for Scotland and northern England on Wednesday, with 10 to 20cm expected in places.

"Travel delays on roads are likely, stranding some vehicles and passengers," the Met Office said.

"Some delays and cancellations to rail and air travel are likely.

"There is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off. Power cuts are likely and other services, such as mobile phones, may be affected.

"There is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off."

Lightning could also be an additional hazard on Wednesday, particularly near coasts, it added.

There are further yellow warnings for snow across southern England, London, Wales and the West Midlands on Thursday.

The mercury is expected to fall to -8C (46.4F) in many places at night this week, and close to -15C (5F) in some areas.

Daytime temperatures will remain in low single figures but may feel as cold as -11C (12.2F) with the wind chill, forecasters say.

The Met Office has also issued an amber cold weather alert for England - its second highest level - which warns of increased health risks to vulnerable and elderly people.

The AA urged drivers to take extra care and said it was mobilising extra resources for an increase in demand for help over the coming week.

The prolonged spell of cold weather has been blamed on a rare North Pole phenomenon called "sudden stratospheric warming".

The event disrupted the polar vortex in the upper atmosphere, resulting in bitterly cold air sweeping in from Siberia, according to forecasters.

Sky News weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said: "Easterly winds this coming week, otherwise known as 'the Beast from the East', will spread in bitterly cold air originating from western Russia, where temperatures there are currently as low as -23C (-9.4F).

"We're not expecting temperatures to fall that low for the UK and Ireland, but they will drop close to freezing during the day, and well below that overnight.

"The winds will also strengthen, so there will be a significant wind chill, making it feel much colder than the temperatures suggest.

"The brisk easterly winds will also spread through snow showers off the North Sea, which will initially affect eastern parts of the UK on Monday morning, but through the week the strong winds will spread them further west, so all areas will be at risk of seeing snow over the coming days.

"A more persistent area of snow also looks likely to move south-westwards across the UK on Tuesday giving significant accumulations, and towards the end of the working week central and southern areas may also be affected with another dumping of snow.

"So in summary, disruptive snow falls are likely just about anywhere this week, especially across southern and eastern areas."