Weather warnings for ice and wind have been issued in northern Britain after temperatures plunged to -12°C on Monday night as an Arctic blast blew through much of the country.
Hilly parts of Scotland have been worst hit by the cold snap, which follows a weekend when the south-west of England and Wales had temperatures above 16°C.
A yellow alert for ice, covering most of Scotland, has been issued until Wednesday at 10am, with yellow weather warnings for wind in place in Scotland from Wednesday afternoon until Thursday at 9am.
Residents affected by the Met Office’s ice alerts have been warned of “transport disruption” and an increased “chance of accidents”. Where winds are predicted to reach speeds of up to 75mph – in Orkney, Shetland, the Western Isles and Argyll and Bute – the forecaster warned of a “risk of travel disruption and power cuts”.
Rain and snow are forecast to move east across the country on Tuesday which could lead to snow on higher roads.
Andrea Bishop, a Met Office spokeswoman said the “unsettled conditions” would continue into the weekend in the UK, bringing “strong winds and rain to some areas”.
“Weather warnings could be issued as the details of the developments and hazards become clearer. Given the potential for disruption from this system, it is important to keep up to date with the latest forecast,” she added.
On Tuesday afternoon there were nine flood warnings and 45 flood alerts in place across the UK.
The mercury dropped as low as -12°C overnight in Gosport, Hampshire, but warmer temperatures are expected during the day on Tuesday.
Temperatures were expected to range from 3°C in Aberdeen to 9°C in Plymouth around mid-day on Tuesday.
This weekend was milder with temperatures as high as 16.4°C in Cardiff because winds brought milder air from the south and south-west, the Met Office said.
Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna said: “That’s about five degrees above average – it should be about 10-12°C that time of year.”
After a brief cold spell on Monday, he said the wind was returning from the Atlantic.
Petagna said there is a chance temperatures could drop again next weekend as northerly winds are expected to develop.
The Met Office had predicted the unseasonably warm weekend weather after the heavy rain and flooding in recent days that accompanied Storm Conall.
More than 100 flood warnings were in place in England and Wales last Wednesday as Conall battered Britain with heavy rain.
The third named storm of 2024 brought heavy rain to southern Britain days after Storm Bert brought widespread destruction and left at least five people dead.
