Bitter Arctic winds to bring snow to UK this week

A car driving through a snow flurry in Lenham, Kent, earlier this month

Bitterly cold winds from the Arctic are set to bring snow and ice to many parts of the UK this week.

Travel disruption is expected as the "coldest spell of winter so far" will cause temperatures to drop.

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for snow and ice until Tuesday, with northern parts of the UK especially affected.

Monday temperatures will range between 1C to 4C, but wind chill will make them feel more like sub-zero.

Warnings for snow and ice have been issued for northern Scotland - in particular Aberdeenshire, the Highlands, Orkney and Shetland Islands.

Northern Ireland will also be hit, including counties Tyrone and Londonderry.

• How to drive in snow and icy weather

• The best way to de-ice a car and other winter tips

Scotland's snow and ice warning will extend on Tuesday to northern parts of England, the West Midlands, and Wales - including Durham, Northumberland, Cheshire, Merseyside, Wrexham, and Staffordshire.

These areas may see travel delays, power cuts and potential injuries from slipping and falling on icy roads and pavements.

BBC Weather presenter Stav Danaos said this coming week could be "the coldest spell of the winter so far thanks to Arctic northerlies which will bring significant snow showers into northern parts of the UK and other coasts".

"Bitterly cold Arctic winds will plunge southwards across the whole country, feeding plenty of snow showers into northern Scotland and the Northern Isles. Northerly winds here will be gale force, so drifting of snow and blizzards are likely," he said.

The BBC presenter said wintry showers may also affect coastal areas of the North Sea and Irish Sea during Sunday night.

He went on to say that temperatures on Monday will range between 1C to 4C, but the "strong northerly wind chill will make it feel sub-zero".

A man walks his dog in the snow in Gateshead, back in December

"Monday will be a very cold day with plenty of sunshine, but wintry showers will affect northern, western and eastern coastal areas with frequent and heavy snow showers piling into northern Scotland," he said.

On Tuesday, more widespread snow is forecast to affect most of Scotland with a mixture of rain, sleet and snow forecast for Northern Ireland and northern England.

Low pressure currently in France could head north by Wednesday and potentially result in some snow falling in parts of the south of England, including the Channel Islands and south-east Kent.

Find out the weather forecast for your area, with an hourly breakdown and a 14-day lookahead, by downloading the BBC Weather app: Apple - Android - Amazon

The BBC Weather app is only available to download in the UK.