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An arctic blast is threatening to further drop temperatures across the UK next week.
Following the chill brought by northeasterly winds in recent days, forecasters expect it to get colder from Wednesday, staying near freezing during the day and dropping overnight.
In that north, especially in the Scottish mountains, the chance of snow is high with temperatures remaining below average.
UK weather: the latest Sky News forecast
A yellow weather warning is in place for the middle of the week, with up to 10cm (4in) of snow forecast in parts, causing travel disruption.
Strong northerly winds also create the risk of drift and blizzard conditions.
While clear or sunny spells are likely in the west, it is warned that this could lead to some heavy snow overnight.
Sky News meteorologist Kirsty McCabe said: “It’s the first significant cold spell of the winter, and it’s going to be even colder from the north next week as winds shift further north.
“It will introduce a feed of cold air all the way from the Arctic.
“As well as making it feel even colder, the arctic air is beautiful and clear and brings brilliant winter sunlight with great visibility.
“However, it also means snowy nights and an increased risk of sleet and snow in any rain.
“The Met Office has issued a yellow snow warning for northern Scotland and parts of the Northern Isles on Wednesday, as snow showers could disrupt travel.
“With 5 to 10cm (2 to 4in) of snow above 200m, accumulations of 2 to 5cm (0.7 to 2in) are possible at lower levels.
“Strong northerly winds will bring an additional risk of drifting and blizzard conditions.”
Image: Met Office
Although it’s still early days, a white Christmas looks more remote, with milder, wetter conditions pushing in around the middle of the month and rising temperatures.
Forecasters predict that the north and east are most likely to hold on to the cold conditions for the longest period of time.
Any transition between cold and mild conditions brings the risk of rain, especially with sleet and snow over the hills.
It’s unclear whether the cold spell will stop this year, which ended as the warmest on record in 1884 after a mild autumn.
Provisional figures show that autumn 2022 – September, October and November – was the third warmest on record for the UK, with an average temperature of 11.1C, topped only by 2011 and 2006.
November 2022 continues a warmer-than-average run with the first 11 months of the year being the warmest on record for the UK.
Rainfall was also above average for the season in many areas, including southern England, most of which were in drought conditions by the end of the summer.
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