Met Office issues THREE DAYS of heavy snow warnings as plunging temperatures grip UK

The UK is set for bouts of heavy snow, with the Met Office issuing yellow warnings for three days.

A lengthy warning for snow and ice across northern Scotland comes into effect from 2pm on Sunday through to 10am on Wednesday.

Another warning for snow across parts of south-east England has been issued by the forecast for Monday, lasting from 2am until 8am.

Residents are urged to take care as there may be some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths, and some roads and railways are likely to be affected, with longer journey times.

Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell warned those driving to work on Monday to leave plenty of time for their journeys, as the worst of the ice is expected to be during rush hour.

“We are starting to see the cold weather coming in from the Arctic, so we have now started to issue warnings for snow and ice across the UK,” he said.

“We have got a couple of areas we are keeping a very close eye on – we could well see some wintry showers develop tonight across the middle band of the UK, with a risk of snow on high ground and slippery surfaces on lower areas.

Cold and wintry weather is set to 'dominate', according to a meteorologist.
Image: Met Office

“This could be a problem during rush hour, it could cause a few problems on the roads. The risk of flooding is still there.”

Snell added that while “cold and wintry weather” is set to “dominate the UK” through the week, the weekend looks milder.

He continued: “Compared to the cold spell in December, it doesn’t look like it’s going to last as long."

The Met Office has said overnight temperatures will dip below 0C for much of the UK, while sheltered glens and high areas of Scotland could see -10C.

Warnings are not solely in place for snow, but concerns over flooding have also prompted a response from authorities.

The Environment Agency had issued 98 flood warnings and 180 flood alerts in England as of Sunday morning.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has issued three flood warnings for areas of the Scottish Borders, Tayside and Ayrshire and Arran, along with two milder alerts for West Central Scotland.