UK weather forecast: Warnings issued as temperatures plummet

The UK has been hit with a band of wintry weather which has brought hill snow and a risk of ice to large parts of the country.

Yellow warnings of ice are to remain in place across most of the United Kingdom throughout Tuesday and into Wednesday morning as cold air moves in behind the rain.

The Met Office warned drivers to take care on roads during rush hour due to the risk of ice as well as snow showers in the West.

Rain, sleet and snow are expected as the day progresses.

Snow will mainly be on high ground, but the Met Office said it can be expected in some low lying areas too, especially early on and during the evening.

:: UK weather: The latest Sky News forecast

Joanna Robinson, Sky weather producer, said: “Ice will be the main concern on Tuesday evening and night, with a yellow ‘be aware’ warning in place for much of the UK.

“Expect tricky conditions on the road, especially where there’s snow falling.

“The wintry showers will become increasingly confined to the north and west overnight, but they may be slow to clear the far South East of England.

“There’ll be a further covering of snow in places, with a 20% risk of five to 10cm of snow across Kent by Wednesday morning.

“Temperatures will widely fall below freezing, perhaps as low as -8C (17F) in some rural spots across northern Scotland.”

A yellow warning for ice remains in place into Wednesday morning across most parts of England, bar Cornwall, most of Wales, bar the west coast and most of Northern Ireland. Scotland is largely clear, but there are warnings for the west coastline.

Met Office meteorologist Sophie Yeomans said: “Most of the country is in the colder and showery air. The snow is mainly on the hills, while for most places the showers are falling as rain and maybe a bit of sleet.

“We’ve got some ice warnings; the weather front that has gone through has left rain on the ground, so as the air temperatures start to drop ground temperatures will be below zero and that’s giving the risk of ice across most of the UK.

“So look out for any areas where the surfaces haven’t been treated. On untreated surfaces there’s a risk of slips and falls.

“There’s also a risk of some icy surfaces on any untreated roads.”

Some light snow was also seen in the South East as the wintry front moved down the country.

Temperatures in London and Cardiff are expected to peak at 5C (41F), while Birmingham will see highs of 3C (37.4F) and Edinburgh 2C (35.6F).

Highways England warned motorists that it was snowing “quite heavy” on the M62 trans-Pennine route, where efforts were under way to keep the road open using ploughs and salt.

Snowfall caused the closure of the southbound entry slip road at junction 4 overnight, although it was reopened in the early hours.

Meanwhile, road maintenance company Scotland Transerv described the conditions as “baltic” as they went out with 32 gritters in southwest Scotland.

The latest weather update comes after the Met Office warned of thundersnow this week as temperatures go as low as -10C (14F) in some areas.

The wintry weather forecast is down to the imminent arrival of a polar maritime air mass, which will have the UK well under its influence from Tuesday.

But there is mild weather ahead, with temperatures rising slightly before the weekend.

Wednesday is most clear, but with wintry showers in northern, eastern and western coastal areas. Thursday looks wet in the milder west, with snow possible on the hills, but the cold east will be mainly fine.

Friday will be milder overall, with some rain around, but it will turn cold and showery again over the weekend.

(c) Sky News 2019: UK weather forecast: Warnings issued as temperatures plummet