Britain Braced For 'Arctic Blast' In Coming Days

Another arctic blast of snow could hit the UK in the coming days as the big freeze shows no sign of melting away.

Sub-zero temperatures will also continue to send a shudder down the spine of Britain leaving severe cold weather alerts and warnings over treacherous conditions on the nation's ice-covered roads firmly in place.

Forecasters say there is the potential of up to 3-6cm of snow as a weather front moves in from the North West over the next three days. The worst hit areas are expected to be East Anglia and the Midlands with southern areas of England set to experience a light dusting.

Victoria Kettley, forecaster for MeteoGroup, the weather arm of the Press Association, said there was still some uncertainly over exactly how much snow will fall.

She said: "Scotland and Northern Ireland will see a front move in during today which could bring some snow in western Scotland - possibly a couple of centimetres on higher ground.

"It will push south east overnight and edge into Northumberland and Cumbria by tomorrow morning. There could be rain, sleet and snow on high ground as the leading edge of the front pushes through, as well as the risk of freezing rain."

Ms Kettley predicted the weather system would continue to push southwards during tomorrow before finally reaching the South East on Friday.

"Some weather models are showing significant snow for the Midlands of up to 6cm on Friday, but it is uncertain if the precipitation the front is bringing will fall as rain, sleet, or snow," she added.

Temperatures dropped to -9C in northern England overnight, with today expected to be dry and bright in most parts of England and Wales. However, temperatures are only expected to rise to around 3C before dropping to as low as -8C tonight.

However, as the front passes over the UK bringing the unsettled weather, temperatures are expected to show a slight increase.

The adverse weather conditions have seen the Met Office issue a level-three severe cold weather alert lasting until Friday.

It warns: "There is a 100% probability of severe cold weather and icy conditions until 10am on Friday in parts of England. This weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients."

Meanwhile severe "yellow" weather warnings, instructing the public to be aware of icy roads, remains in place in London and the South East, the East, the South West, the Midlands, Yorkshire and Humber and North East England.

Drivers have been reminded that roads will still pose a risk even if the temperatures begin to warm.

MeteoGroup forecaster Nick Prebble said: "Road temperatures in winter can be a couple of degrees centigrade lower than the air temperature, so there's still a risk of ice on the roads over the weekend and potentially into next week."

The thick blanket of snow that fell over parts of the UK at the weekend caused major travel disruption with a spike in road crashes and breakdowns. A handful of schools were also forced to close due to the adverse weather conditions, while Heathrow Airport axed half of all flights on Sunday night.

The RAC said it had seen the busiest February weekend in its history, with 41% more calls than usual.