UK weather warnings in place ahead of snowy weekend - The Guardian

Weather warnings are in place across Britain, as the country braces itself for freezing temperatures and snow in some areas over the weekend.

After a period of mild weather, temperatures are expected to plummet, with wintry showers expected in Scotland and down the east coast.

A cold blast of weather from the Baltic and western Russia is expected to hit the UK on Friday, with average daytime temperatures over the weekend in low single figures and overnight lows falling below freezing, resulting in widespread frost and icy stretches.

Alexi Boothman, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, said: "Temperatures will fall over the weekend, and in many places, even during the daytime, we won't see more than a degree or two above zero," he said. "From overnight tonight we can expect to see wintry showers arriving in parts of Scotland and north-east England, driven by cold easterly winds, and also down the east coast as far as East Anglia. There may also be some snow showers in Wales."

The Met Office said some rain was expected across the west of the country on Saturday, particularly on high ground. Sunday is expected to be drier and brighter. The east of the country is likely to see the most of any snowfall as wintry showers drift in on easterly winds.

Weather warnings for ice and snow have been issued for many parts of the UK over the weekend and people should expect some disruption to travel.

The Highways Agency said it was well prepared for winter conditions, had topped up salt stock levels and put a reserve salt stock in place.

"We have a fleet of 500 state-of-the-art winter vehicles on standby, supported by tried and tested winter resilience plans," a spokeswoman said. "Our roads will be treated whenever there is a risk of ice or snow. However, even when roads have been treated, drivers should still take care, especially on stretches where the local road layout or landscape means there could be a greater risk of ice forming."

Reports have warned of three weeks of cold temperatures and disruption, but the Met Office said there was "a lot of uncertainty about how long the cold weather will stay with us and exactly which areas of the UK will see snow".