UK weather: snow warning as cold snap could send temperatures as low as -10C

A cold snap will continue to spread across Britain on Tuesday and temperatures could plunge as low as -10C in parts of the country.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning of snow and ice for much of England and Wales and parts of Scotland after a day of heavy snowfall in some regions, with more wintry weather expected on Wednesday and Thursday.

It said that overnight temperatures into Tuesday “will tumble towards freezing, perhaps getting as low as -10°C in western Scotland where there is a covering of snow”.

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Drivers were urged to stay off the roads with treacherous conditions predicted by the AA if thawing snow turns to ice overnight.

Britons could also wake up to freezing fog patches, which will be slow to clear.

Wintry showers could see up to 10cm of snow could fall over the Pennines and North York Moors, according to the weather warning which runs until 10am on Tuesday.

Red deer in the snow alongside the A82 in Glencoe, Scotland. Photograph: Jane Barlow/PA

The Met Office said that most places will see little or no snow, but “a slight covering of a centimetre or so is possible in a few places”.

Ben Sheridan, of the AA, said: “Thawing snow, rainfalls and freezing temperatures overnight lead to challenging driving conditions, with roads likely to be icy in the morning.”

But the AA added regional restrictions, which have been imposed due to Covid-19, mean that roads are quieter than normal.

A woman walks across a snow covered park in Knutsford Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

Large swathes of London, the Midlands, the South, South West plus the east of England and Wales have also been warned that snow and ice could hit on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Met Office yellow warning suggests that up to 5cm of snow could fall across parts of southern Wales, central and southern England, and there is a small chance of 10cm-15cm settling in a few places, most likely on high ground above 200 metres.

It comes after much of England and Wales endured a cold and frosty Bank Holiday Monday.