UK weather: Hail, rain and snow hit Britain in chilly start to April

Up to 20cm of snow forecast in mountainous areas

Rain, hail and snow have swept over the UK as a northerly wind brings wintry conditions in the opening days of April and more cold weather is forecast for the rest of the week.

Temperatures dropped to single figures on Tuesday, with more snow expected to hit high ground overnight.

The Met Office warned the northern half of the country, particularly around the Welsh mountains, the Pennines and Scottish mountains, may be dusted in snow by Wednesday morning.

Forecasters estimate between 5cm and 10cm could fall in areas above 400m, and as much as 20cm could drop over the tops of the Grampian Mountains.

Videos of falling hail and snow were shared by some Twitter users on Tuesday as the UK was gripped by cold temperatures.

In Carrickmore, County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, snow could be seen settling on fields and alongside roads.

Met Office meteorologist Helen Roberts said the country could expect a continuation of sunshine combined with heavy, blustery showers on Wednesday, with snow causing some "localised problems" in the North.

"Probably more of a risk than the snow, or more of a hazard, is going to be ice because temperatures will drop very quickly in clear slots," she said.

Ice could be widespread across the country as temperatures drop even lower to 8C or 9C by Wednesday.

Ms Roberts said a low pressure system was dominating and prolonging the wintry conditions.

She added: "Its quite a deep low and it's not moving anywhere very quickly, it's just swirling around these showers across the country."

However, the weather is expected to become drier later in the week, with temperatures drifting upwards.

Thursday will still see some showers, but eastern areas may escape the rain.