UK weather: Met Office gives snow update as temperatures to dip to -8C

Parts of the UK are set to experience snow and wintry showers this week as the cold spell continues, the Met Office said.

Snow showers are expected on the North Sea coast, including Scotland and northeast of England starting from Wednesday and heading into the weekend.

Temperatures will begin to dip to freezing levels on Tuesday with sheltered hills in Scotland seeing mercury as low as -8C. Across the country temperatures will range around -2C to -5C.

“There will be snow showers but we are not likely to see significant accumulation on the ground,” Oli Claydon, a spokesperson for the forecaster, said.

“We could see some snow moving into southeastern parts of the UK towards the end of the week, including Hampshire,” he said.

“However, it may also remain dry.”

London is set to see lows of between 1C and 0C throughout the week.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) issued a yellow cold weather alert for the health sector covering northern regions of England which runs through the whole week.

Mr Claydon also advised the public to check the weather before travelling.

Towards the end of the week, there is a possibility of snow across parts of the south, but this is far from certain, the Met Office said.

“Snow in any affected area is unlikely to be anything more than transient and short-lived, but it could lead to small totals and some disruption over a few hours before melting.” David Oliver, a Met Office deputy chief meteorologist, said.

After the snow showers, the weather is then expected to become more unsettled.

Bouts of rain will lash Wales and southwest England clearing southwards, followed by brighter skies. Parts of Scotland and northeast England will be hit by showers, along with strong winds.

The showers will continue into the night across the north and east, but the rest of the region will be dry with clear spells.

“Turning cold under the clear skies with frost developing, mainly in the north,” the Met Office .