Wintery storms see snow fall across the UK – and the weather is going to stay freezing
BRITS in the north and the south woke up to a dusting of the white stuff this morning with snow as far apart as Manchester and Devon.
Mancunians awoke to an outbreak of "thundersnow" while those in Devon took to social media to celebrate the first flurry of the winter.
Gritters could be seen pounding the streets of Oldham following the icy blast with commuters rugged up warm.
The UK might well be waking up to a white Christmas if the weather continues this way, the highest odds currently stand for Aberdeen, and London is the least likely to welcome snow on Christmas Day.
Thundersnow is a phenomenon which occurs when it is so cold thunderstorms unleash snow rather than rain when they break out over head.
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It typically occurs when the pressure spikes forcing warmer air up into the sky which turns into snow as it condenses.
Elsewhere across the North West Liverpool was hit with a heavy hail storm leaving the city centre covered in white blanket early this morning.
People in Devon were tweeting about the snow with one user @jhobson67 saying it had been snowing steadily for around half an hour.
He posted: "Here in Lapford #MidDevon it has been snowing steadily for around 30 minutes."
The Brecon Beacons in Wales also experienced a dusting of snow, with pictures showing snowy peaks and cold looking wildlife.
A Met Office spokesman said: "The key weather story for the next few days is it’ll be on the cold side across the country.
"Through the course of today we’ll see a day of sunshine and showers across the UK with showers most frequent across the North and the West but with the South East and the eastern parts of Scotland staying mainly dry.
"There will always be a risk of some snow mainly over higher ground, say over 200-300m above sea level, particularly in the north we could see some further accumulation."
Continuing he added: "In terms of lower levels it seems quite unlikely today but there could be some snow showers but accumulation is unlikely.
"There will be quite a strong breeze as well, really making it feel cold on the face of it.
"With temperatures hovering around 4 C in the North and 8C or 9C in the South with the wind factored in it will feel below freezing in parts due to a notable wind-chill factor.
"Through tonight there is a real ice risk with showers during the day and then turning cold overnight the water freezes with a high risk of ice."
He went on to say that drivers should be on the look out for ice with warnings out across the country.
He said: "We currently have an ice warning out and that is expected to continue across tonight and the weekend mainly in western parts of the UK but it will be a very cold night across the country with lows of -6C and -7C.
"Last night was the coldest night of the autumn so far with a low of -7.2 in Braemar, Scotland.
"Saturday for most areas should be a pretty fine dry day with showers much fewer and more isolated with more sunshine but still well on the chilly side.
"And then Sunday it does change, across southern parts of the UK it looks like we should see a spell of wet and windy weather, developing on Saturday night and then into Sunday from the south west towards the north east with the Pennines, the Peak District and Snowdonia likely to experience some snow but still restricted to higher ground."
The RAC warned motorists to be prepared for the weather.
Spokesman Simon Peevers said: "With the weather set to become increasingly wintry over the weekend, we're urging motorists to make sure they aren't left out in the cold when it comes to dealing with adverse conditions.
"Planning ahead is key, especially if you're going on a long journey, so making sure things like your car's antifreeze/coolant levels and tyre pressures are correct is essential, as well as topping up windscreen washers.
"In addition to vehicle health, it's important that motorists ensure they and their passengers are prepared with supplies of warm clothing, blankets, and some food and water if the worst happens and the vehicle breaks down at the roadside."
In the Midlands the driver of a gritting lorry had to be taken to hospital after it slid off the road.
He was meant to be spreading tons of grit to stop vehicles sliding on ice but came to grief himself.
Police said the accident happened at 4.50am this morning - more than two hours before daybreak.
Icy temperatures had forced the council to send out gritting teams during the night to try to prevent early-morning crashes as people de-frosted their cars to begin the treacherous trip to work.
The gritter lorry slewed off the ice-covered road and ended up on its side on the 'old' A5 at Norton near Shrewsbury in Shropshire.
The driver was taken to hospital but he's not thought to be in a life-threatening condition.
His crewmates escaped badly shaken but not seriously injured.
The road has re-opened but a rescue operation will be made to pull the lorry from the ditch.
Police say the accident happened at Norton Crossroads.
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said "The gritter lorry left the road and was made safe by firefighters who had been sent from Shrewsbury and Wellington.
"The driver was taken to hospital by ambulance.
"People should take extra care on the roads this morning."
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