UK weather – Snow to fall TODAY as Britain braces for brutal cold snap with temperatures plummeting to just 2C

SNOW has fallen in the UK as Brits brace for a brutal cold snap with temperatures set to plummet.

Walkers in northern Scotland's Cairngorms are ankle-deep in the white stuff after a heavy dusting overnight, and there's more expected.

Forecasters believe the snow will then drift further south, and could potentially reach Carlisle by the early evening today.

Cumbria has seen extreme weather over the course of the past week, with an astonishing 1.3ft of rain falling over Honister Pass.

Four inches of snow could fall in Scotland and northern England throughout the month, with further blasts expected from the middle of November.

And an Arctic blast will grip the UK in the coming days.

Temperatures were around -2C this morning, although sunshine in the south will raise the mercury to highs of 11C later on.

There's also the risk of flash floods today.

TEMPERATURES TUMBLE

Four separate flood warnings and 23 flood alerts are currently in force in England and Wales.

A whopping one in six properties in England at risk of flooding from rivers, sea and surface waters according to The Flood Hub.

Two flood warnings have been issued for Lower Stour, on the south coast near Bournemouth, one in Keswick in the Lake District and another in Tenby, Wales.

River flooding is also expected in York following recent heavy rainfall.

Claire Nasir of the Met Office said it'll be "chilly for most and bright for some".

"The wind has changed direction, coming in from the north, so in the firing line for showers is the north and north-west of Scotland and the far north of Northern Ireland," she said.

ARCTIC BLAST

"The Irish Sea coast will be affected as well, particularly northern and western areas of Wales down towards the north coast of Devon, and Cornwall too."

She said areas inland - especially in southern parts of England and Wales - will see "temperatures dip very low".

The weather will be much the same tomorrow too.

"The wind will be racing down the North Sea, so again we could just see some showers pushing inland as we head through the evening and overnight," she said.

"Despite that, there'll be clearer skies again across many areas on Thursday, with a risk of frost and a ridge of high pressure that extends across the country through Thursday as well as Friday.

"There's a lot of bright and dry weather to be had, although it will be chilly."

FROSTY START

A chilly blast of air straight from the Arctic Circle will arrive today, holding the UK in its grip and forcing temperatures to drop.

That will result in more snowfall in the days to come before things turn milder at the end of the week.

Rain will eventually wash away any lying snow, it's believed.

Meteorologist Aiden McGivern said a "much colder north-westerly air flow" will send the mercury tumbling this week.

"There'll be a cold feel because the wind is coming from the north," he said.

"As a result, it'll be another frosty one in places on Thursday morning, certainly in rural spots, where we'll see temperatures dipping below freezing."

Bookies have slashed the odds on this being the coldest November ever to 4/1 from 7/1.

There's also a 2/1 shot that we'll see snow on Bonfire Night.

Alex Apati of Ladbrokes said: "It's looking increasingly likely this month breaks records for all the wrong reasons on the weather front."