BRITAIN is set to be hit by snow today and tomorrow as an Arctic blast is expected to send temperatures plunging to a bone-chilling -6C.
Brits are set to freeze this weekend with the mercury expected to drop at nighttime and snow falling in the north.
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It comes after drivers were urged to stay alert on the roads on Friday with ice warnings covering half the country.
And the threat continues, particularly in Scotland, where there remains a high chance of ice patches throughout the country.
BBC forecaster Christopher Blanchett said: “Through the course of this evening and overnight, our concern is with ice and there is a Met Office yellow warning in force through west-central Scotland and the south.
“There is a chance of icy patches almost anywhere and under clear skies, temperatures are readily falling away to sub-zero and in rural parts of the northeast perhaps minus 6C.”
Meanwhile, WX Charts has predicted snow of up to 6 inches falling in Scotland in the coming days.
Jason Nicholls, forecaster at AccuWeather, told the Express: “A front will bring some rain to the UK Saturday with snow in the Scottish Highlands.
“Another front will spread showers southward across the UK Monday night and Tuesday.
“There can be some snow in the Scottish Highlands again Monday night. The remainder of next week looks dry with high pressure in control.”
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NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) has issued some unusual advice to “walk like penguins” in the icy conditions to avoid injury.
The health service is urging people to bend their knees loosely, point their feet out slightly, extend their arms at their sides, walk flat-footed – taking short steps, and to keep their centre of gravity over their feet in order to avoid falling.
Linda de Caestecker, Director for Public Health at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “While it might seem silly to walk or waddle like a penguin, in the context of the wintery conditions we’re seeing today, penguins know best.
“If you find yourself out and about in icy conditions, adopting the penguin stance is a really effective way to move without falling.”
Temperatures in Scotland are expected to be between 6C and 8C and feeling cold in the brisk west wind.
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Mr Blanchett added: “Initially very wet on Saturday but that rain clears through apace and for most of the day it is a case of bright sunny spells and rain showers.
“Those showers most frequent in the west, wintery on the hill tops, driest and brightest in the east.”
According to the Met Office, today will be rainy “clearing eastwards, finally clearing East Anglia and southeast England late afternoon.”
The blustery showers are set to continue at night particularly in the north and the west with hail expected to fall in parts of the country.
The forecast states: “Some early hill snow in the North. Brighter, colder weather with heavy, blustery showers, wintry over hills, follows from the West. Windy and blustery.”
There are currently nine flood alerts in place by the Environment Agency in England and five for Wales.
The weather is starting to improve on Sunday in the south and east with the showers remaining in the north until late afternoon
Maximum temperatures in the South of the UK are forecast to reach around 10C or 11C. In the North of England around about 7C or 8C.
Forecasters have said parts of the UK can be hit by “icy stretches” and snow with temperatures set to plummet as low as minus 4C in higher areas of Scotland and averages of 2C for most of the rest of the UK.
Western Scotland, Northern Ireland, north-west England and North Wales could face frosty conditions, caused by showers expected to last until Sunday morning, according to the Met Office.
Forecasters also warned of wet and windy conditions across other parts of England and Wales on Saturday with parts of the country set for “very unsettled weather”.
Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey said: “There are no official ice warnings out at the moment that we have issued but we are sending out a message in general that there is an isolated risk that any wet surfaces along with these showers could lead to icy stretches.
“This is mainly due to the showers that will be feeding into the west.”
Meanwhile, bookies have slashed the odds on this month ending as a record wet January in the UK to 1-2 with Coral’s John Hill telling punters: “We are set for a lot of rain over the next few days and as a result of that forecast, we have slashed the odds on this month ending as a record wet January.”
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