The Met Office has issued its first snow warning of the winter as Britain is expected to face freezing temperatures this week.
A yellow weather warning for snow has been issued for northern Scotland on Wednesday, with snow showers likely to disrupt travel.
Snow could also fall in parts of Northern Ireland and north-east England, with the coldest temperatures expected from Wednesday. Much of the UK is expected to stay just above freezing during the day and drop overnight.
“It is likely to remain cold with more showers across much of the UK, falling as sleet and snow in the north, leading to some snow accumulations in higher areas,” the Met Office said. “Showers falling as rain or sleet are more likely in parts of the south.”
The forecast suggests “much fine and dry weather, with sunny spells at times in the south, but some heavy overnight frosts are expected”. However, temperatures are expected to remain cold or very cold across the UK next week.
Scotland’s weather warning states that up to 2-5cm of snow is possible in lower ground, increasing to 5-10cm on the ground above 200 metres. Some drifting and blizzard conditions are possible with strong northerly winds, according to the advisory.
The warning covers Central, Tayside and Fife, Grampian, Highlands and Eilean Sia and Orkney and Shetland.
From Wednesday, daytime temperatures are expected to be as low as 2C, down to -3C overnight on Thursday, in a cold pot originating from low pressure in Norway.
Forecasts for the rest of the month suggest the weather could pick up, but with wet and windy conditions for the south and west.
“The north and east are more likely to hold colder conditions for longer,” the Met Office forecast. “Any transition between cold and mild conditions would bring a risk of rain, with sleet and snow especially in the hills.”
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The UK would need a near-record cold December to avoid 2022 being the warmest year on record. Provisional figures from the Met Office show that autumn (September, October and November) was the third warmest on record in the UK, with an average average temperature of 11.1C.
November 2022 continued the streak of each month being warmer than average, with the first 11 months of the year the warmest on record for the UK.
Mike Kendon, from the National Climatic Information Centre, said: “While it is too early to guarantee that 2022 will be the UK’s warmest year, the first 11 months have set the stage for a record warm year , with only one very warm year. a cold December that could potentially influence where the year ends in the record books.”