Large parts of the UK will be hit with heavy snow this weekend, according to the latest weather maps from the Met Office.
A large 258-mile long stretch of the UK from London all the way up to Northumberland will be covered with the white stuff overnight on Saturday.
It comes as the UK Health Security Agency upgraded the cold weather health alert to amber for every area of England as temperatures plummet. The alerts are now in place and will remain in place until Wednesday, January 8.
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Temperatures could fall as low as -8C on Thursday night in rural southern Scotland and northern England, according to the Met Office, while it will also be cold in rural Wales and the south west of England with -6C expected.
As temperatures dip, the UK is bracing for some ‘heavy and disruptive’ snow with a yellow snow and ice warning covering much of England coming into force from midday on Saturday. Around 5cm of snow is expected widely across the Midlands, Wales and northern England, with as much as 20cm to 30cm over high ground in Wales and the Pennines.
The forecast for the north west predicts a dry and cold day on Thursday, with overnight frosts as temperature drop down to -4C by Friday morning. Some wintry showers are predicted during the day, with occasional sunny spells during the afternoon.
Wales and the south east of England will be the first places to see snow from around 6pm on Saturday evening -Credit:Met Office
On Saturday, further wintry showers are expected before more widespread snow arrives overnight. The Met Office forecast reads: “Sleet and snow arriving into Sunday, perhaps heavy and disruptive in places and maybe lingering into Monday. Staying cold with a risk of ice.”
The warning will remain in place until the end of Sunday, with the Met Office also warning that some snowfall may drift due to strong winds.
In addition, snow could turn to freezing rain in parts of Wales, the Midlands and northern England, adding to the risk of ice and leading to some treacherous conditions. By Sunday evening, a “fairly rapid thaw of lying snow” is expected.
By 9pm on Saturday, snow will spread to the east, covering most of Wales and the Midlands as well as parts of the north and the south west -Credit:Met Office
The Met Office’s precipitation map currently shows the first snowfall hitting Wales and the southwest of England from around 6pm on Saturday evening.
After moving in from the west, the snow will spread across much of England, with large parts of the north west and West Midlands seeing heavy snow by 9pm. Parts of south Wales and the Midlands could see more than 4mm of snow per hour.
By midnight, the snow will cover much of England and Wales, with a 258-mile stretch of the UK from London all the way up to Northumbria forecast some of the white stuff -Credit:Met Office
By midnight, the snow looks set to cover the majority of England, spreading over a 258-mile stretch of the UK between London and Northumberland.
Large parts of England will continue to see snowfall throughout the night. By 6am, the snow will have cleared from the south, making way for rain.
By 6am on Sunday, the snow will have cleared from parts of the south of England, making way for rain, but snow is expected to move further north into Scotland -Credit:Met Office
Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “At the moment we’ve issued a very large snow warning for Saturday until Monday but it doesn’t mean that everywhere within that warning could see snow, it’s just a heads-up there could be some impacts.”
The snow comes after a period of heavy rain over New Year, which saw a major incident declared in Greater Manchester on because of flooding. On Thursday afternoon, the major incident was stood down, with emergency services and partners now focusing on recovery efforts.
So far there have been no casualties or reports of serious injuries.