SNOW WAY!
UK temperatures plunge to -5C as SNOW falls amid Met Office weather warnings
The Met Office has issued yellow 'severe' weather warnings for ice as snow is forecast
SNOW has fallen in the UK as the Met Office issues a severe weather warning for this weekend.
Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice have been issued for Scotland and Northern Ireland and the mercury is set plummet as low as -5C in England as Arctic winds chill Britain.
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The first snow fell in Glenshee, Scotland, yesterday.
But weather forecasters are predicting a dusting for southern England too, in Hampshire, Berkshire and Wiltshire today beginning at 6pm today.
Heavier snow that is likely to settle will fall on high ground around the Higlands and Grampians and Northern Irish hills, while lighter snow will fall in Snowdonia and the Penines and could fall as hail or sleet.
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A yellow warning for snow and ice is in place for northern Scotland from 8pm on Friday, while another for ice takes effect in Northern Ireland from 1am on Saturday.
Forecasters warned of patchy ice and slush affecting some upland routes as well as rail and road disruption.
Snow may dust the tops of hills in the Pennines in northern England, Snowdonia in north-west Wales, the North York Moors, and across the Scottish Highlands.
Meteorologist Aidan McGivern said: "Snow building up over the higher routes, some icy patches for the north of Scotland as well as Northern Ireland to watch out for first thing Saturday.
"It will be a fairly chilly start, with temperatures widely close to freezing and that means you'll perhaps have to scrape your car windscreen and you'll see a frost in place first thing."
Eastern parts are likely to see hail, showers and strong winds throughout Saturday, with the odd chance of a thunderstorm.
Gritters are on standby across the country, with a number of councils posting pictures of their fleets online.
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Hail, sleet and snow showers will leave surfaces icy, and slushy snow will lie on upland routes above 200-300 metres.
Hills are expected to show a light covering of snow.
Accidents and injuries are likely on untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths and heavy showers may even wash away grit or salt treatments.
Railways will also be affected meaning longer journey times are to be expected.
Today's forecast shows skies becoming brighter in the afternoon after this morning's heavy showers.
Cold northerly winds will persist throughout the day making the temperature feel as low as 0-2C in northern Scotland and 5-8C in the south.
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This morning, hail will begin to fall in West Wales and Northern Ireland followed by snowfall in the afternoon as well as in the Highlands, Grampians, Penines and southern counties of England.
Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said: "Snow building up over the higher routes, some icy patches for the north of Scotland as well as Northern Ireland to watch out for first thing Saturday.
"It will be a fairly chilly start, with temperatures widely close to freezing and that means you'll perhaps have to scrape your car windscreen and you'll see a frost in place first thing."
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The Scottish Highlands and the Grampians will see the heaviest snowfall, while Snowdonia, the Penines and southern England could see a light dusting of snow, possibly some hail and sleet.
Prolonged rain will fall in the east of England on Saturday as temperatures stay well below 10C.
The temperature will feel colder by about 2C as a cold northerly wind sweeps across the country.
Waking up to a frosty morning tomorrow, there will be lows of -5C in rural areas such a Gloucestershire, compared to -4C in northern England and -3C in Scotland.
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Northern Ireland will experience freezing temperatures of 0C overnight.
Met Office forecaster Bonnie Diamond added: "We have had a pretty mild October so far and a warm start to autumn in places so it will be a big change for everybody as we go through the weekend.
"Certainly it's time to get the warm winter clothes out."
Untreated roads should be used with caution as there will be patchy ice after heavy showers freeze overnight in the freezing temperatures.
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The snow is due to clear tomorrow making way for bright, crisp weather with strong, cold winds.
Nicola Maxey, a spokesperson for the Met Office, told The Sun Online: "There will be cold weather across the weekend, with temperatures dropping below freezing overnight. We're expecting particularly cold night followed by pretty cold days.
"There's a risk of snow and ice in the north but away from those areas we're expecting it to be bright.
"The weekend should bring cold, bright, autumnal weather."
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