Britain will face a sub-zero weekend as temperatures fall to -10C (14F) and the country is hit by further snow and more than half an inch of rain in 24 hours.
Motorists have been involved in several crashes today as police warned drivers to beware of icy roads, with standing water freezing on many routes in Scotland and early morning gritting having only ‘limited effect’.
Met Office ‘be aware’ warnings for ice were in place for Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and central and south-eastern England today, with Stirling Police warning drivers to ‘be aware of very icy roads when you go out’.
A downhill mountain biker takes his cycle to the top of ‘Cat’s Back’ hill in Herefordshire today for a chilly early morning ride
The sun rises with an abundance of colours over the hills near Longtown in Herefordshire this morning
A beautiful sunrise is seen over the hills of Herefordshire today ahead of temperatures falling across Britain this weekend
A car and a caravan overturned on the A9 near Perth, a van and a small lorry were involved in a collision on the A77 in Dumfries and Galloway, and there was also a crash on the A82 near Balloch, West Dunbartonshire.
This weekend, temperatures will plummet well below freezing as Britain is battered by wet and windy weather. It will be up to 20C lower than at the start of the week as the latest blast of cold air blows in from the North West.
Blustery showers and sleet are expected as temperatures settle below freezing for several days, bringing harsh frosts. It comes after Scotland received up to two inches of snow yesterday, with the Highlands most affected.
A band of heavy rain, bringing three-quarters of an inch in 24 hours, will sweep from West to East affecting almost all parts of the country on Saturday – and there is even a chance of some sleet in London.
Temperatures will stay cold in Britain today, reaching just 7C (45F) in the South (left), but it will feel closer to freezing (right)
Temperatures will widely drop below freezing overnight and could be as low as -5C (23F) in parts of Scotland with lying snow. Tomorrow night the mercury could fall to -8C (18F) over Scotland and -10C (14F) on Sunday night.
Met Office forecaster Alex Burkill said: ‘It’s quite a bit colder. Sunday night into Monday temperatures are looking particularly cold. We could see around -3C (27F) to -6C (21F) in rural areas with a very widespread and harsh frost.
‘It will be a cold frosty start on Monday with a harsh frost. Friday into Saturday it will get down to -3C (27F) and on Saturday night it could get down to -2C (28F).
‘It’s quite a change from the 14C (57F) daytime temperatures we were seeing. It is wintry with cold rain, sleet and snow. On Sunday night temperatures could get as low as -10C (14F) in parts of Scotland, with lying snow.’
A cold clear night preceded a spectacular sunrise this morning over the Herefordshire hills on the first day of February
A downhill mountain biker rides his cycle over the Herefordshire hills on a chilly February morning today
Sabrina Lee, from weather forecasters Meteogroup, added: ‘Western parts such as Devon could get about 16mm (0.6in) of rain in 24 hours. The rain will arrive after midnight on Saturday and could linger for a lot of the day.’
Temperatures started to plummet sharply across Britain on Tuesday. The Oxfordshire village of Benson recorded a low of -5C (23F) on Tuesday morning, compared to the 10C (50F) it had 24 hours earlier.
Last week tropical air brought temperatures of 10C (50F) to much of Britain, with maximums of 15C (59F) in some areas of the South East, making it warmer than the Greek islands.
However, forecasters said the coldest night of the year so far is unlikely to be beaten this weekend. That happened overnight from January 20 to 21 when -13.7C (7F) was recorded at both Altnaharra and Kinbrace in the Highlands.
Bookmaker Coral is odds-on at 10-11 for the temperature to drop to as low as -15C (5F) by the end of the week in the UK. The firm said it continues to see a flurry of bets for February to be the coldest on record.