Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption BBC Weather forecast
Snow is falling across the UK as bitterly cold weather is swept in from Russia.
A wind chill means that during the day it will feel like -10C to -15C.
Yellow and amber weather warnings for snow are in place for Monday and Tuesday, covering southern and eastern England before extending to cover the Midlands, Scotland and Wales.
Some train services in the south east of England will stop running on Monday night as a precautionary measure.
Wednesday and Thursday's yellow warnings will also cover Cornwall, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
By Wednesday night, more than 20cm of snow could have accumulated in some parts of eastern England and Northern Ireland, say forecasters.
Scotland is expected to have between 5cm and 10cm of snow on Wednesday.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Snow is falling across London amid yellow weather warnings
Image copyright Ian Heard Image caption A frozen sea front at Weston-super-mare
Image copyright John Gray Image caption A burst water pipe in Highworth, Wiltshire created this icy display.
Road, rail and air travellers could face severe disruption, with BBC Weather warning of possibly hazardous conditions in southern England later in the week as a low pressure weather system moves up from the Bay of Biscay and hits the already "exceptionally cold air".
South Eastern Railway has advised passengers to complete their journeys by 18:00 GMT on Monday to avoid disruption.
Meanwhile all Greater Anglia trains will stop by 22:00 GMT on Monday with a reduced service running on its routes during the day between Tuesday and Thursday.
C2c services will operate normally until 21:00 GMT and passengers have been warned to expect alterations and cancellations on Monday night.
In London, TfL is advising commuters to check before travelling and to allow extra time for journeys and will also terminate some services on Monday night.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption BBC Weather explains why we can expect temperatures to plummet
"Any precipitation will turn readily to snow, and with bitterly cold strong to gale force easterly winds, blizzards are likely," said Alina Jenkins from the BBC's Weather service.
Met Office meteorologist Charlie Powell said: "Unusually for Britain, the snow is going to be quite dry, so it will blow around and gather in drifts and we could see some blizzard conditions."
He added that while he did not want to alarm people, the Met Office was urging people to be prepared for the so-called "beast from the East".
Wet vs dry snow
Parts of the UK will feel as cold as northern Norway and Iceland.
When surface temperatures are below freezing, snow is drier as it contains less water. This type of snow is powdery and does not stick together, the Met Office says.
Wet snow however, is the result of slightly warmer, moist air, which causes the edge of snowflakes to melt and stick together.
Image copyright Andy Hughes Image caption Frozen sea at Porth Cwyfan bay on Anglesey
The Local Government Association said councils were well prepared, having stockpiled 1.5 million tonnes of salt to help keep roads clear.
Council teams will also be visiting elderly and vulnerable people to deliver hot meals and carry out emergency heating repairs, the LGA said.
However, it urged people to check on neighbours who may struggle to cope in the cold.
Public Health England have advised homes to be heated to at least 18C.
Emergency shelters have been opened across the country as councils offer extra accommodation to the homeless during the freezing conditions.
The offer of a hot shower, clean clothes, food and a bed can help save lives, homeless charity St Mungo's said.
Image copyright Met Office Image caption Tuesday's weather warning covers much of England and Scotland, with the most severe weather in the Midlands and east of England
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AMBER WARNING FOR SNOW FOR LONDON & SOUTH EAST ENGLAND AND PARTS OF EASTERN ENGLAND
VALID FROM 02:00 TUESDAY 27TH FEBRUARY TO 12:00 TUESDAY 27TH FEBRUARY
LONDON AND SOUTH EAST ENGLAND AND ESSEX
Further snow showers are expected through Tuesday, these likely to be heavy in places and probably aligned in bands. Where this happens, there is the potential for 5-10 cm of powdery snow accumulating, possibly very locally 15 cm, through the morning, before easing during the afternoon. Meanwhile some nearby locations may see only small accumulations of 1-3 cm.
AMBER WARNING FOR SNOW FOR EASTERN ENGLAND AND WEST MIDLANDS
VALID FROM 04:00 TUESDAY 27TH FEBRUARY TO 11:00 TUESDAY 27TH FEBRUARY
NORTH EAST ENGLAND, YORKSHIRE & HUMBER, WEST MIDLANDS, EAST MIDLANDS AND EAST OF ENGLAND
Further snow showers are expected through Tuesday, with the likelihood that a more organised area of snow will push southwest during the morning, bringing 5 to 10 cm of snow in places in just a few hours. Strong winds may lead to drifting of lying snow (and severe wind chill) especially over hills, with lightning perhaps an additional hazard near North Sea coasts.
YELLOW WARNING FOR SNOW FOR EASTERN ENGLAND
VALID FROM 04:00 MONDAY 26TH FEBRUARY TO 10:00 MONDAY 26TH FEBRUARY
YORKSHIRE & HUMBER, EAST MIDLANDS, EAST OF ENGLAND, LONDON & SOUTH EAST ENGLAND
At this stage snow showers will be mostly light but may produce 1 to 2 cm in places in time for the Monday morning rush hour.
YELLOW WARNING FOR SNOW FOR EASTERN ENGLAND AND WEST MIDLANDS
VALID FROM 14:00 MONDAY 26TH FEBRUARY TO 23:55 MONDAY 26TH FEBRUARY
WEST MIDLANDS, EAST MIDLANDS, NORTH EAST ENGLAND, YORKSHIRE & HUMBER, EAST OF ENGLAND, LONDON AND SOUTH EAST ENGLAND,
Snow showers, which will have been affecting eastern areas of England from Sunday night, are likely to become heavier, more frequent and more widespread through Monday afternoon. There is the potential for accumulations of 5-10 cm in places, whilst nearby locations may see much less frequent showers and only small accumulations of 0-2 cm.
YELLOW WARNING FOR SNOW FOR WALES AND PARTS OF ENGLAND AND SCOTLAND
VALID FROM 00:05 TUESDAY 27TH FEBRUARY TO 23:55 TUESDAY 27TH FEBRUARY
WALES, CENTRAL, TAYSIDE and FIFE, EAST MIDLANDS, GRAMPIAN, HIGHLANDS and EILEAN SIAR, LONDON and SOUTH EAST ENGLAND, NORTH EAST ENGLAND, NORTH WEST ENGLAND, SW SCOTLAND, LOTHIAN BORDERS, STRATHCLYDE, YORKSHIRE and HUMBER, SOUTH WEST ENGLAND
Further snow showers are expected through Tuesday, with the potential for a more organised band of snow to push south-west across many parts of England and Wales through the day. There is uncertainty in the extent of snow. However, there is the potential for 5-10 cm of snow in places where showers become more frequent, or in association with the more persistent band of snow. Nearby locations may see much less snow and only small accumulations of 0-2 cm in places. Strong winds will lead to drifting of lying snow, with lightning an additional hazard, particularly near North Sea coasts.
YELLOW WARNING FOR SNOW FOR ENGLAND, WALES, NORTHERN IRELAND AND SCOTLAND
VALID FROM 00:05 WEDNESDAY 28TH FEBRUARY TO 23:55 WEDNESDAY 28TH FEBRUARY
NORTHERN IRELAND, WALES, CENTRAL, TAYSIDE & FIFE, GRAMPIAN, HIGHLANDS & EILEAN SIAR, SW SCOTLAND, LOTHIAN BORDERS, STRATHCLYDE, NORTHERN ENGLAND, YORKSHIRE & HUMBER, WEST MIDLANDS, EAST MIDLANDS, EAST OF ENGLAND, LONDON & SOUTH EAST ENGLAND, SOUTH WEST ENGLAND
Showers will bring a large variation in amounts of snow across even small areas with some places seeing very little snow. There is the potential for 10-15 cm of snow in places where showers become more frequent whilst nearby locations may see much less frequent showers and only small accumulations of 1-3 cm in places. Strong winds will lead to drifting of snow, and lightning could be an additional hazard, particularly near North Sea, Irish Sea and English Channel coasts. By the end of Wednesday, more than 20 cm may have accumulated in places in some eastern counties of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland from a culmination of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday's snow showers.
YELLOW WARNING FOR WIND AND SNOW FOR WALES, MIDLANDS AND SOUTHERN ENGLAND
VALID FROM 12:00 THURSDAY 1ST MARCH TO 23:55 THURSDAY 1ST MARCH
WALES, WEST MIDLANDS, SOUTH WEST ENGLAND, LONDON AND SOUTH EAST ENGLAND
A weather system is expected to move slowly north through Thursday into Friday and has potential to produce widespread snow, accompanied by strong to gale force winds. As less cold air follows from the south, there is a small chance of snow turning to freezing rain bringing an additional ice risk. There is still uncertainty in how this system will develop, but there is a small chance of the combined effects of snow, strong winds and ice leading to severe impacts.
The army has also been readied to potentially help stranded citizens with the Siberian winds set to leave the UK facing one of the coldest winter spells “for many years”. Sub-zero temperatures, ice and have wintry downpours threaten to cause travel chaos, power cuts and loss of mobile phone signal, Government forecasters have warned. Greater Anglia, who provide train transport from Southend into London Liverpool Street, have warned commuters not to travel after in the evenings with trains only running till 22:00. South Eastern have issued similar warnings, advising their passengers to avoid travelling after 6pm.
EXPRESS London weather: Watch live webcam of snow as it threatens to cover London
We don’t want to scare people but they should make sure they are prepared Met Office forecaster Charlie Powell
Met Office meteorologist Charlie Powell said: “Unusually for Britain the snow is going to be quite dry so it will blow around and gather in drifts and we could see some blizzard conditions. “We don’t want to scare people but they should make sure they are prepared for some seriously cold weather.” The first signs of snow are being felt across London, with snow pouring only commuters as they make their way to work on Monday morning. Snow is expected to fall along the UK’s east coast before moving across the country during the day before reaching Wales. WATCH LIVE WEBCAM VIDEO AS SNOW POURS ON LONDON
Winds are then expected to strengthen and with easterly gales through the eastern Channel and East Anglia by the middle of the week. Met Office forecaster Mr Powell added: “That’s going to make it feel really cold. Daytime temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday will be struggling to get above freezing for most of the country. By Thursday evening there are growing signs there could be some significant snowfall across southern England.” BBC Weather have echoed the warnings, telling Britons to expect “significant snow” as “blizzard” conditions grip the country. In a more shocking prediction, the BBC forecaster said Monday would be “tame” compared to what the country can expect throughout the week.
UK Snow in pictures: Blizzards hit Britain as temperatures plummet Mon, February 26, 2018 UK Snow in pictures: Blizzards threaten Britain as temperatures plummet to -15C Play slideshow PA 1 of 20 Commuters cross Millennium Bridge in London
With the threat of significant snow and blizzard conditions, the army has been readied to assist British citizens in the event of the Baltic weather bringing Britain to a standstill. BBC Weather forecasters have outlined where and when the UK is most likely to be smashed by the blizzard conditions as the cold weather continues into the week. BBC Weather has warned that southern England may experience a “full-blown” blizzard. BBC Weather meteorologist Tomasz Schafernaker said: “The advise is to keep track of the weather forecast, because you may be surprised just how much snow could be heading your way over the next few days or so.
BBC WEATHER BBC Weather warns where in UK could be hit by 'full-blown blizzard' as snow falls across country
We could be heading for a full-blown blizzard across the south, toward the end of the week BBC Weather forecaster Tomasz Schafernaker
“For some of us, it is going to be a very troublesome week on the weather front.” The BBC Weather forecaster adds: “A covering of snow first thing on Monday morning, the ground looks frozen solid so the snow will have no problem settling. “I think on Monday morning we will be seeing scenes like this, nothing too significant.” Most of the UK’s major cities can expect a dusting of snow, according to the forecaster.
Tuesday is expected to bring “persistent and heavy snow” from Lincolnshire to parts of Midlands, down towards central areas. Schafernaker continues: “On Wednesday, you can see the snow showers continue from East Anglia and the south east across Lincolnshire all the way into eastern Scotland, some in Northern Ireland some out west as well.” The BBC Weather forecaster then offered a prediction of the amount of snow that could cover parts of the UK across the week. As much as “20cm” could cover parts of eastern and eastern Scotland, according to Schafernaker.
UK Snow in pictures: Blizzards hit Britain as temperatures plummet Mon, February 26, 2018 UK Snow in pictures: Blizzards threaten Britain as temperatures plummet to -15C Play slideshow PA 1 of 20 Commuters cross Millennium Bridge in London
