The first snow of winter has fallen on parts of the UK - as the country is braced for an Arctic blast weather maps predict will plunge Brits into a big freeze this week.
Weather maps seen by the Mirror snow is likely to fall as far south as Devon by Thursday morning, and heavier and more widespread on Friday. The Met Office told the Mirror temperatures fell to -7.7°C in rural parts of northern England overnight last night.
It's believed temperatures will remain below average for the time of year for at least 11 days, during which snow is possible anywhere across the UK. However, the latest weather maps show around 5mm of snow is expected in and around Greater Manchester and East Lancashire overnight into Wednesday. The Pennines will get a dusting in the same period, the Met Office charts show. By Wednesday evening, more than 5mm of snow will have fallen across Moray and Aberdeenshire in Scotland, forecasters believe.
Speaking to the Mirror today, the Met Office meteorologist Gregg Dewhurst said: "As we go through the middle and towards the end of next week, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, we look at how the low weather front interacts with the cold air across the UK. At this stage is still uncertain but it could spring the risk of some rain turning to snow over the higher ground across central parts of the UK, perhaps southern parts too as well... We are keeping an eye on the potential for this area of low pressure to move in from the west and southwest."
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t's thought snow will be heavier on Thursday across the Midlands and southern England. Temperatures are believed to be cold enough for rain to fall as snow across south Wales, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire on Thursday morning. The band of low pressure will move north as Thursday progresses and snow will fall, as will sleet in places across West Midlands, Warwickshire and mid Wales. Parts of rural Devon will experience around 4mm of snow on Thursday, it is said.
Later on Thursday, snow showers will develop across most of Scotland and parts of northern England. The weather maps show Northumberland should see around 4mm by midday. Hail will fall in milder areas, including Humberside, North Yorkshire and East Yorkshire.
As the mercury plunges again overnight into Friday, most of Scotland will wake to heavy snow. It'll also be significant in Northumberland and County Durham. The weather maps, which are interactive and on the Met Office's website, currently suggest it'll snow on Friday morning as far south as Derbyshire, though it'll only be light and patchy here.
The Pennines and parts of Greater Manchester will get another dusting on Friday, it is understood. It'll be rainy elsewhere on Friday, heavy in places, including Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire. The Met Office is monitoring the end of the week, in particular, to assess if snow will be more widespread.
The latest front of low pressure is moving in from the southwest but the most severe of the front will fall across Central Europe, notably across The Alps weeks into the start of the ski season. More than 50mm is likely across Switzerland and the northern tips of Italy on Thursday.
The UK is therefore "on the fringes" of this weather system. The Met Office says Brits will see the earliest consequences of this on Monday, though the bigger impact will come later in the week.
Dan Harris, the Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, said: "At present, the most likely outcome beyond mid-week is that rain from the west slowly moves east, with snow possible over higher ground, and a continued risk of showers over eastern parts. However, there is a chance that a more active weather system arrives from the southwest, which would bring more widespread rain, stronger winds, and the potential for more significant snowfall should the air over the UK become sufficiently cold ahead of it."