Fifteen centimetres of snow could fall in just a few hours tonight as Britain braces itself for freezing conditions this week.
Scotland is expected to the worst affected by the icy blast moving in from Canada, but yellow weather warnings for ice have been put in place for northern England, the Midlands and north Wales, too.
The warnings will remain place between 9pm tonight and tomorrow morning.
It will also feel bitterly cold as temperatures plummet – and heavy showers combined with gales could mean conditions that make it feel like a blizzard.
It’s a rather cold start to the week with some hill snow in places.
Turning milder later in the week but remaining unsettled with further spells of wet and breezy weather expected. pic.twitter.com/Xo8PUpquFd
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 27, 2020
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A Met Office expert is quoted as telling Mirror Online: “An area of sleet and snow is likely to move eastwards overnight, followed by a few wintry showers.
“Surfaces will then be freezing, leading to icy stretches. There is a small chance that up to 5 cm of snow could fall down to sea level. Snow over high ground is much more likely, with 5-10 cm above 250 m and as much as 15 cm above 350 m.”
The weather agency is reported to have added to the Express website: “Showers of rain, hail and sleet are likely on Monday night and Tuesday morning, leading to a risk of ice on some surfaces as temperatures fall below freezing.
“Some snow is also possible, but mostly restricted to high ground above 200 metres where a few centimetres may settle.”
⚠️ Yellow Weather Warning issued ⚠️
Ice across Northern Ireland, Wales and northwest England 1900 today to 1000 Tuesday
Latest info 👉 https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs
Stay #WeatherAware pic.twitter.com/stjFxp0G5E— Met Office (@metoffice) January 27, 2020
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Furthermore, if skies remain clear for long enough over the snow, it could get even chillier.
The Met Office’s Simon Partridge added to the Mirror: “There’s potential that we could see the coldest night of winter so far on Monday night going into Tuesday morning.”
And Weather Outlook forecaster Brian Gaze agreed over the weekend: “There’s been almost no snow this winter for most – but the white stuff is finally on the way.
“A tongue of cold air is crossing the Atlantic from Canada, set to bring low-level snow.”
The time for action is now #ClimateChange #ClimateAction
What will you do? #Do1Thing pic.twitter.com/SDFAU1sunG— Met Office (@metoffice) January 22, 2020
Rain will be heaviest in the north and the west but sleet in southern Scotland is expected to clear.
Wednesday is tipped to be drier and calmer by BBC Weather but showers are rated as being likely for most areas on Thursday.
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