Vast swathes of the UK are covered by weather warnings for ice and snow on Wednesday as the ‘freeze of the century’ continues.
A ‘wall of snow’ is sweeping in from the north throughout the week as an ‘Arctic blast’ causes temperatures to drop well below the average for this time of year.
The Met Office has had yellow weather warnings for ice and snow in place throughout most of the week, and Wednesday is no exception.
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Today’s warnings cover the entirety of Scotland, most of Northern Ireland, the north of England and the north Welsh coast.
The warning covering most of Scotland and Northern Ireland is in place all day on Wednesday, while those covering southern Scotland, the north of England and north Wales expire at midday.
A Met Office spokesman said: ‘Throughout this period frequent snow showers will continue to push inland across parts of Scotland and much of Northern Ireland, the heaviest snowfall will likely occur in hilly areas inland from the coastlines exposed to the north to northwesterly wind.
‘In these areas an additional 5-10cm of snow is likely, and there is the potential for a further 15-20cm of snow in a few locations during Wednesday (especially across Scotland).
‘Areas further inland from these most exposed regions are likely to see lower snowfall amounts, with perhaps a 1cm or so most probable here, with a chance of an isolated spot approaching 5cm.
‘Ice will be an additional hazard across the highlighted region.’
The Met Office says the Arctic air, blown in from the north, is bringing very cold conditions across the UK.
Even areas which don’t see snow will feel ‘bitterly cold’ with temperatures in the low single figures during the day, and dropping to -3 or -4°C overnight.
Chief meteorologist Andy Page said: ‘Where and how much snow we will get will vary throughout the week and weather warnings could change quickly, you will need to keep an eye on the forecast for your region for the latest information.
‘There will be widespread frost this week and we could see some fairly deep laying snow in parts of northern UK and strong winds could result in drifting or blizzard conditions at times.
‘The snow and ice will be disruptive and could potentially impact travel plans, make driving dangerous and pavements slippery.’