UK weather: snow and ice warnings in force as Arctic air sweeps in for new year

Overnight into Friday an area of rain, sleet and snow will spread through Northern Ireland, Wales, parts of North-West England, the Midlands and southern England.

A Met Office yellow warning has been issued for large parts of England and Wales from midnight on Friday until 12:00 GMT on 2 January.

A separate yellow warning is in place for Northern Ireland between midnight and 10am on Friday,

Snowfall may last a couple of hours, with 1-2cm possible at low levels and up to 5cm of snow over the higher ground of Wales and the southern Pennines so new year travel disruption is possible.

Meanwhile the frequent snow showers will continue in northern Scotland right through until the weekend.

Strong winds on Saturday will bring blizzards and drifts of snow with the north-west Highlands and Grampians perhaps seeing as much as 60cm of snow by the end of the weekend.

An additional Met Office yellow warning is in force for northern and western Scotland covering the whole weekend.

Temperatures will be around 3-5C at best with some parts of Scotland and northern England experiencing ‘ice-days’ where temperatures won’t rise above freezing.

These low temperatures with widespread overnight frosts are expected to continue well into next week.

Stay up to date with the latest forecast on the BBC Weather website or app as details are likely to change.