UK weather - live updates: Britain hit by snow and ice as freezing temperatures forecast to plunge further

One of the coldest weeks of the year so far hits country

Met Office issues icy warning for the freezing start of February 2018

Snow will fall in almost every part of the UK over the coming days as forecasters warn to expect one of the coldest weeks of the year so far.

Weather warnings are in place for much of the UK as sleet, snow and rain are expected to sweep in.

Temperatures are a few degrees above freezing but may drop below -10C as the week continues.

The weather remains dry but very cold across most of the UK as the evening rush hour approaches, except in the northwest which may experience some rain. Snow is expected across much of the country overnight.

We have been bringing you live updates of UK weather warnings and travel conditions.

Today's live blog has now finished, but we will be resuming our live coverage tomorrow, as the severe weather continues.

Weather experts believe it will be one of the coldest weeks of the winter so far - and parts of the UK were blighted by sub-zero temperatures overnight.

Alex Burkill, meteorologist at the Met Office, said temperatures could hit “double negative” figures in parts of Scotland as the week, as one of the coldest week's of the year continues

Mr Burkill said we were in store for a "prolonged" cold spell, with low temperatures lingering for much of February.

“Cornwall and Devon are included in the warning and they don’t often get much snow. They could see some snow showers through Tuesday and Tuesday night," he said.

“We have got a few showers pushing in to eastern parts of the UK, in the southeast around Kent they are falling as a mix of rain sleet and snow.”

Weather warnings are in place for much of the country. Rain, sleet and snow are set to sweep the UK, with transport disruptions likely and ice patches potentially forming on roads and pavements that have not been gritted. Forecasters have advised people to leave extra time for journeys that may be affected.

Police in Kent urged drivers to be extra careful after they responded to collisions on the road after heavy snowfall.

Devon and Cornwall are included in weather warnings for snow.

Across the country, temperatures are likely to fall to between -3C and -6C during the day and be slightly higher during the day. Tuesday night is set to be especially cold.

Many woke up today to wintry showers, with warnings in place to watch out for ice on untreated roads, in the east and southeast of England.

The rest of Monday will stay mostly dry, forecasters say, but snowy showers are expected to move southeast through Tuesday night from Scotland and Northern Ireland, into northern England and Wales.

Frosty showers and are also set to hit the west of the country in the early hours of Wednesday.

Forecasters said we may see around one to three centimetres of snow in most affected places, but there could be as much as 10cm in parts of Northern Ireland.

Key Points

• Reports of snow in London 
• The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings as snow and ice set in
• Drivers have been warned to take extra care on the roads after a series of crashes on the M20

[5 February 2018 14:34 · Jon di Paolo]

Kent was among areas to be hit by snowfall overnight. Many have taken to social media to share the wintry view they woke up to, such as this snap of Kent from @Lucy_Huxley on Twitter. 

[5 February 2018 14:44 · Jon di Paolo]

Network Rail South East have shared a video about how they keep their trains running when there is ice on the track. 

To stop this becoming an issue, they send out special trains which scrape the ice away and lay anti-freeze on the rails. 

[5 February 2018 15:34 · Jon di Paolo]

The Met Office has predicted how much snow may fall in areas covered by weather warnings.

In western Scotland and Northern Ireland over the next couple of days, hills that are higher than 200m may see up to 10cm of snow.

Other areas on lower ground covered by snow warnings, which include parts of Wales, the north of England and the Midlands are likely to get between 1cm and 3cm before 3pm tomorrow.

In the east of England, including East Anglia, there could be up to 4cm of snow between 3pm on Tuesday and 9.30am on Wednesday.

[5 February 2018 16:16 · Jon di Paolo]

As this evening's rush hour approaches, the Met Office said conditions across much of the country remain dry, but cold. 

Rain and snow in the northwest could make driving conditions more difficult. 

[5 February 2018 16:34 · Jon di Paolo]

That's all from today's weather live blog.

Much of the UK is expecting to see snow overnight, so come back tomorrow when will resume our live updates on weather and travel conditions across the country.