Rain and hill snow today will clear as cold Polar Maritime air brings sleet and snow showers in from the west overnight and for Friday. Risk of ice too.
This morning Britain saw blue skies sunshine and a crisp frost early on. It’s been cold overnight with -8C at Topcliffe in Yorkshire and Highland, Scotland and -7C in Bedfordshire, Northumberland. Ice pancakes have been spotted on the River Tees in Co. Durham.
Further west there are weather fronts, linked to a deep low pressure near to Iceland. These are bringing wind and rain but as this comes up against the cold air there is also some snow this morning. Mostly this will be over the high ground of NW Britain and there is a weather warning from the UK Met Office for travel disruption over high level routes today. Northern Ireland started off damp and grey with rain and hints of sleet for the hills.
These frontal bands will move across the UK today with a cold westerly wind following. This will bring lively showers of sleet and snow. There will be impacts from these wintry showers into Friday, so through tonight and for tomorrow morning.
Today there is the chance of snow for the Welsh Mountains and over northern England and Scotland. The Met Office has a yellow warning for snow over higher level routes such as trans-Pennine, through the Southern Uplands and into Highland Scotland. These warnings reflect the forecast impacts because of the severe weather. There will be snow for a time outside of the warned area, as a southerly wind picks up and rain appears. Mostly the snow will be over the hills but lower parts of northern England and Scotland could see a little bit of snow today. Temperatures for SW Wales and coastal SW England could reach 9 or 10C with Northern Ireland up to 8c in a sliver of milder air. The rain band continues pushing eastwards, still over SE Britain by this evening
Following the main front will be a cold westerly flow. Polar Maritime air from Greenland, moving across the north Atlantic, picking up moisture and then throwing a lot of showers our way. There is another weather warning for Snow and Ice running from this evening, overnight into Friday morning.
Again, there will be frost for Scotland inland, not as cold tonight. Temperatures will be around zero tonight across the UK, a few degrees above for southern England with more of a breeze. The mixed showers of rain, sleet and snow will continue to feed in from the Alntatic, over Northern Ireland with more shelter for Counties Down and Antrim. Also, over Scotland with heavier falls for the NW Highlands and Trossachs. Over northern England and Yorkshire with western areas being more prone but the snow showers reaching across to the Dales and Peaks.
This second yellow warning includes ice and even lightning from the more lively showers. “Frequent sleet, hail and snow showers may lead to some disruption to travel during Thursday night and Friday morning.” Met Office
Through Friday morning a new little low centre develops off SW Britain, which links back to another Atlantic low pressure off the tip of Greenland and again heading near to Iceland. This will move over SW England, the West Country and south Wales later on Friday morning with cloud and rain but also hill snow. Worth bearing in mind for Exmoor and Dartmoor with a slight veer in the wind by the afternoon. Temperatures by day will be 3 to 6C and it will feel cold in the wind and damp air.
The showers ease later in the day as pressure rises. Another frost for Britain early on but milder air will edge in from the west overnight ready for Saturday, away from the far north.