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Met Office Issues UK-Wide Snow and Ice Warnings as Arctic Air Triggers Short Cold Snap

Forecasters expect a brief Arctic snap to give way to milder Atlantic air on Sunday.

Overview

  • Yellow warnings cover most of the UK through Saturday night into Sunday, including multi‑day alerts across Scotland and a 17‑hour ice warning for much of England and Wales on Friday night.
  • Forecast accumulations are 1–3 cm at low levels, 3–7 cm above roughly 150 m, and 10–15 cm above about 400 m, with the greatest disruption risk on higher ground.
  • Saturday brings a frosty, sunny start before snow spreads overnight, then turns to rain on Sunday as milder air arrives, with a short spell of freezing rain possible in places.
  • Icy surfaces could cause travel delays and slips and falls, and officials advise checking updates as timing and band placement may change with further warnings possible.
  • A UKHSA cold‑health alert runs until Monday, and the Met Office has named 159 areas facing snow or ice over the weekend.