It took long enough to arrive but winter is finally here, with an icy sting in its tail.
Snow, sleet and hail are set to hit parts of Britain, and Scotland has been issued with severe weather warnings.
The heaviest snow is forecast for the north and north west regions, but the south of England will be spared a spattering of the white stuff.
Following the freezing conditions, bookmakers have started to slash their odds for a white Christmas.
A plump Christmas robin perches on a snow covered branch in in Allenheads, Hexham, as snowfall continues to sweep the north of England.
Gale force winds are predicted in Orkney and Shetland and motorists are urged to take care after a lorry jackknifed on the M8, forcing the road to close at junction six.
A truck driver died when the wintry conditions caused his vehicle to skid off a trunk road in north Lincolnshire earlier this week.
Met Office forecaster Dan Williams told the Daily Mail: "From Thursday evening there is a snow risk as far south as Birmingham – the furthest south that snow has been forecast this winter.
"The guidance is for perhaps 8-10in on hills in Scotland and 2-4in at lower levels.
"With strong winds and possible heavy snow showers, people should be aware of very difficult conditions.”
"In western Scotland and north-west England there will be snow over the high ground, and sleet and hail at low levels.
"Gusts of wind up to 60mph are expected across western parts of northern England, and temperatures will range from 1C (33.8F) in Scotland to 11 (51.8F) in the south of Britain."
Rescuers had to battle through "blizzard conditions" to airlift an elderly woman to hospital after she became ill in a remote part of the Highlands. Using night vision goggles and a radar transit the helicopter had to fly lower than usual, struggling through the frequent heavy snow showers. Transferring the woman by road was judged to be too hazardous.
Widespread chaos on roads, railways and runways was caused during last year’s heavy snowfall, and parts of England suffered the deepest December snow since 1981.
Army personnel from 1 SCOTS were drafted in to clear snow from roads around the Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh in December 2010
The extreme drop in temperature this year follows one of the warmest Novembers on record and an October that saw sunburnt Britons bathing in parks and gardens across the country.
Weird weather phenomena are continuing to crop up around the country, with people being warned to look out for wasps when they drag down their Christmas decorations, as the insects are still around due to the warmer temperatures earlier this year.
Daffodills bloomed in Cornwall and ducklings were born in East Sussex. The chicks are having to be cared for by staff at an RSPCA wildlife centre, as they would struggle to find food at this time of year.
Warnings of a winter drought and hosepipe ban were issued by Anglian Water after the lack of rainfall in October and November causing reservoir levels to become low.
Two girls enjoying the October sunshine on the banks of the Thames earlier this year
As ministers gather in Durban to discuss climate change and the BBC’s Frozen Planet offers a sober warning about the effect that global warming, it seems more important than ever to address the relationship between people and planet.
The US wants to efforts to reduce greenhouse gases to remain voluntary pledges and China, India and Brazil also oppose legally binding deals.
Chris Huhne said on 6 December “People’s responsibilities should match up to their capacity and we should not get stuck in who was regarded as developed and developing in 1992. We should be looking at who is developed and developing now and the richer nations, with broader shoulders should take on more responsibility.”
Take a look at pictures of snow around Britain below: