Britain is on flood alert with balmy blasts from the Atlantic to trigger a widespread thaw melting piles of drifted snow.
Double digit temperatures in parts this week will thrust post-freeze thermometers more than 15C.
But days of snowfall leaving drifts of up to two feet have sparked fears of a rapid thaw and flooding.
Regions most at risk are those that bore the brunt of the cold, including Scotland, Wales, the Midlands and the northeast.
Jim Dale, meteorologist for British Weather Services, said: “With the mild air coming through, there will also be rain this week, so this brings the risk of flash flooding.
“There is going to be quite a bit of snow melt, and this will be rapid in parts of the country that are under a lot of snow, including Scotland, the Grampians, the Midlands and parts of the north.
“We are going to see the risk of disruption shift from snow and ice over the past week or snow, to flooding through the next few days.”
The warnings come after a brutal week of multi-hazard weather events culminating in Storm Goretti.
Regions most at risk are those that bore the brunt of the cold, including Scotland, Wales, the Midlands and the northeast
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Further heavy snowfall yesterday dumped several inches onto parts of Britain already buried under last week’s deluge.
Met Office snow warnings expire today, with wind and rain alerts holding in the northwest of Scotland until mid-morning.
Temperatures were forecast to rise yesterday with highs of 10C or 11C forecast through the start of the week.
As rain pushes in from the west, the Environment Agency has flood warnings and alerts in force across swathes of southern and central England.
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Flood warnings are now in place across England
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A spokesperson said: “Properties may experience flooding in cellars in affected areas.
“Flooding of roads is expected, and roads may be damaged by floodwater.
“Any intense rainfall will lead to surface water flooding. We are closely monitoring the situation.”
Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern added: “There is going to be a thaw from Sunday night, and there is a lot of snow to get rid of.
The UK has seen huge snowfall as a result of Storm Goretti | PA“Most of it will start melting quickly, and when you add that to the rain that is coming in, so there could be some issues.”
Weather prediction models are still quarrelling over the forecast for the run up to mid-January.
Despite clear signals for milder weather through the coming days, Arctic air close by keeps the threat of snow and ice.
Battling weather patterns show temperatures flip-flopping through the week, with any moisture-laden gusts from the Atlantic likely to bring further snow.
Milder temperatures risk sparking floods across the UK
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Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin said: “We are in the milder air on Monday into Tuesday, but there are a few models that keep the colder air close to central and eastern parts of the UK.
“That’s the big battle ground, and the fight, between cold air staying in place and milder air pushing in.
“We have that same scrap going on for much of the week, with some models milder air back in on Wednesday, but that fight is going to continue.”