The UK has had a particularly chilly few days thanks to an Arctic blast ushering in the ‘freeze of the century’ – and today is no exception.

New amber weather warnings for snow are now in place across the north of Scotland, the Orkney Islands and the Shetland Islands, with the Met Office warning that some rural communities could be ‘cut off’ by the snow.

There were already yellow warnings for snow and ice in place throughout most of the week as a wall of snow swept in from the north, but more serious warnings have now been issued.

Forecasters say ‘frequent heavy snow showers’ will affect the area, disrupting travel across the region.

The amber warnings came into force on Wednesday afternoon and will remain in place until 6pm on Thursday.

A Met Office spokesman said: ‘Further frequent, occasionally heavy, snow showers will affect the Northern Isles and northwest Scotland through Wednesday evening and Thursday with an additional 5-10cm of snow likely, and the potential for a further 15-20cm of snow in a few locations.

‘In addition, strengthening northerly then northwesterly winds will cause lying snow to drift.’

There are still yellow warnings for snow and ice in place throughout the day on Sunday.

These cover most of northern, central and western Scotland, most of Northern Ireland, the Welsh coast and very south-western tip of England, Kent and south London, and the east coast of England stretching from Newcastle to Norfolk.

Much of central England and Wales, southern Scotland, and the south of Northern Ireland looks likely to swerve any additional snowfall on Thursday – but it’ll still be bitterly cold throughout the day.

A Met Office spokesman added: ‘Met Office warnings highlight the ongoing likelihood of travel disruption, the possibility of power cuts and the chance that some rural communities will be cut off.

‘Temperatures will remain below average until Friday for many, with overnight temperatures likely to be -3°C or -4°C for many in the UK, and even lower where there’s lying snow.’

But thankfully, for those of us fed up of defrosting our cars every morning, warmer weather is on its way.

The cold Arctic air currently swirling across the UK will begin to displaced from the south on Friday, replaced with milder Atlantic air from the west.

But don’t bust out your bikinis just yet as this will also likely bring wet and windy weather alongside the warmer temperatures.

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Rudman explained: ‘While the next few days will remain cold, we can see a change in weather type on the way, bringing milder air for the UK and returning temperatures to around average for the time of year from Friday onwards and well above average into next week.

‘This change will initially be relatively benign in terms of weather impacts, with a dry Friday and start to Saturday for many in the south of the UK.