Temperatures in parts of Scotland are set to drop well below freezing this weekend as snow could sweep in alongside a bitter easterly wind.
It is unlikely to feel warmer than the actual air temperature, which itself could only reach up to 5C in some areas, but parts of Aberdeenshire are expected to plunge to -5C on Sunday into Monday, and some areas of the Highlands to -4C.
A massive snow front has also been predicted for Saturday, February 15, stretching from Edinburgh to Manchester and bringing up to two to three inches of snow.
Weather maps indicate flurries hitting Scotland and the rest of the UK, with snowfall rates of up to 2cm per hour. It is expected to be more scattered by Sunday, but still bringing heavy snowfall to eastern Scotland, the Central Belt and Inverness.
The colder air temperature isn’t expected to rise significantly until the end of next week for most regions, reports the Mirror.
It comes as forecasters have predicted that a rare weather phenomenon dangerous for aircraft will hit the whole of the UK over the next few days.
Freezing rain, a type of precipitation which sees liquid freeze immediately upon hitting cold surfaces, will move across the country, and be at its worst during the weekend.
According to the Met Office, it can also bring down trees and power lines. It could also prove a hazard for planes, coming at a time when schools are on holiday and several people are expected to be travelling.
Alex Burkill, a Met Office meteorologist, said: “We have something a bit warmer coming in, but underneath it closer to the surface, we have some colder air plunging through, and now that’s important because it brings the risk of some freezing rain… It can cause some very icy conditions and could cause some problems.”
Speaking in a video on the Met Office official YouTube channel, he added: “There is this risk through this weekend and into the beginning of next week of various spells of freezing rain mixed in with some sleet and snow at times as well… Any snow, any freezing rain can cause some issues so we may need to issue some warnings for these nearer the time.”
The phenomenon is expected to impact several regions across northern England. The Met Office says on its website: “The weight of the ice can sometimes be heavy enough to bring down trees and power lines, and the glaze of ice on the ground effectively turns roads and pathways into an ice rink. The freezing rain can also prove extremely hazardous for aircraft.
“Freezing rain is more common in other parts of the world, for example in the USA, where weather systems produce a lot of freezing rain. These are called ice storms, and if enough glaze collects on trees or power lines, the weight of the ice can cause them to break and can result in disruption on a large scale.”