Snowfall could hit many parts of Britain later this week, as cold air blasts in from the arctic regions of Canada, according to weather alerts.
Snow showers and strong winds could see reduced visibility and even power cuts this week, the Met Office has warned.
Yellow “be aware” warnings are in place for Orkney and Shetland, Highlands and Eileen Siar, the Grampians, Strathclyde, Central Tayside and Fife, Dumfries, Galloway, Lothian and Borders, north west England, north east England, Yorkshire and Humber, west Midlands, east Midlands, east of England, south West England, Northern Ireland and Wales.
The cold blast is due to freezing air blowing in from Arctic Canada.
The Met Office’s chief forecaster commented: “Cold air originating over Arctic Canada will affect the area from Wednesday evening through Thursday, bringing snow showers and strong winds.
“Wind gusts up to 55 mph are expected in exposed coastal areas and on hills in association with snow showers, leading to temporary blizzard conditions.
“As well as reduced visibility, 2-5cm of snow could accumulate anywhere within the warning area, with 10-20 cm possible above 300m.
“Lightning may accompany the heaviest showers, with potential disruption to power supplies as a consequence.”
According to Channel 4 forecaster Liam Dutton, temperatures will reach highs of 3-7C across England and Wales, with 0-5C across Scotland and Northern Ireland.
He added that temperatures will fall as low as -5C in rural areas overnight and even lower in some parts of the Scottish Highlands.
Those living in areas which could be affected have been warned to prepare for potential travel disruption.
A separate weather front has left much of mainland Europe shivering.
Heavy snowfall in countries including Poland, Italy, Turkey, Bulgaria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and some of the Greek islands has been caused by cold air blowing in from Siberia.
According to the Guardian, the freezing weather has caused the death of at least twelve people.
