UK snow forecast - live: Met Office warns of snow before Christmas as temperatures plummet

LIVE – Updated at 18:30

The Met Office has said that snow is set to fall in the UK this week as strong blizzards have swept across eastern Europe, causing power cuts and closing schools.

Snow showers are expected in Scotland and the north-east of England from Wednesday and then spread to the south-east of the UK by the end of the week.

Temperatures could dip as low as -8C in the sheltered hills in Scotland and the rest of the country will see frosty weather from Tuesday.

Oli Claydon, a spokesman for the forecaster, said “We could see some snow moving into southeastern parts of the UK towards the end of the week, including Hampshire, however, it may also remain dry.”

It comes as eastern Europe has been hit with strong blizzards and severe snowfall that has already led to the deaths of three people.

Key Points

• Three dead as first heavy snowfall and blizzards of winter hit eastern Europe
• Met Office predicts when snow will hit the UK
• UKHSA issues yellow cold-health alert for this week

Met Office predicts lowest temperatures around UK this week

18:30 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Met Office predicts when snow will hit the UK

17:45 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The Met Office has predicted when snow will hit the UK this week as the first cold snap of the year continues.

Wintry showers will bring the possibility of snow on higher ground across northern England and Scotland later today, while there is the possibilty of “more significant snowfall” across the south later in the week, the forecaster said.

Met Office predicts when snow will hit the UK

Snow set to fall on parts of UK ahead of Christmas period

17:10 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

Snow is set to fall on parts of the UK ahead of the Christmas period, the Met Office has said.

Oli Claydon, a spokesman for the forecaster, said snow showers are expected on the North Sea coast, including Scotland and the north east of England, from Wednesday and heading into the weekend.

“There will be snow showers but we are not likely to see significant accumulation on the ground,” he said.

Snow set to fall on parts of UK ahead of Christmas period

UKHSA issues yellow cold-health alert for this week

16:38 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The UKHSA has issued a yellow cold-health alert for the health sector covering northern regions of England which runs through the whole week.

London is set to see lows of between 1C and 0C throughout the week, the Met Office said.

The rest of the UK will see frosty weather from Tuesday, with temperatures forecast to dip as low as minus eight degrees Celsius in sheltered hills and glens in Scotland.

Parts of rural eastern England could see temperatures as low as minus five, while across the country, top temperatures will range from around 2-7C – below average for this time of year.

Heavy snow covers Ukraine roads as Russian forces advance

16:00 , Joe Middleton

Severe snowstorm injures 13 in Ukraine

15:20 , Joe Middleton

A severe snowstorm injured 13 people in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, causing power outages in more than 1,600 settlements across the country and forcing authorities to close over a dozen motorways to vehicles, officials said on Monday.

The extreme weather comes as tens of thousands of troops man front-line positions in the 21-month-old war with Russia amid fears Moscow could attack the power grid with air strikes this winter.

“In the Odesa region, eight people got hypothermia and five people were injured as a result of falling trees,” the state emergency service said on the Telegram messenger.

Ukrainian rescuers assisting stranded following overnight snowfall in the Odesa region (EPA)

Romania issues red weather warnings after blizzards and strong winds

14:48 , Joe Middleton

In Romania, red weather warnings were issued in the eastern counties of Constanta, Tulcea, Galati, and Braila where winds were forecast to reach as high as 100 kph (62 mph), the National Meteorological Administration said.

Romania’s Minister of Energy Sebastian Burduja told The Associated Press on Sunday that more than 400 localities had suffered electrical outages.

Emergency authorities said that both national and local roads in the four counties were closed on Sunday. Officials in the counties of Constanta and Braila reported that at least 69 localities had been left without electricity but that teams had been deployed to fix the outages. Other, less severe weather warnings were also issued to other parts of Romania.

Watch: Bulgaria issues red weather warning as heavy snow covers country

13:57 , Joe Middleton

Pictured: Snow in Europe

13:35 , Joe Middleton

A tree has falle on a car in Bulgaria (AP)

A man shovels snow, as he tries to clear his car in town of Isperih, Northeast Bulgaria (AP)

A man takes his dog for a walk along snow-covered fields near the small Bavarian village of Alling, southern Germany (AFP via Getty Images)

The Met Office’s snow forecast

13:08 , Joe Middleton

The Met Office has posted their snow forecast on X, formerly Twitter.

Snow set to fall on UK as early as Wednesday

12:52 , Jabed Ahmed

The Met Office predicts snow to fall on parts of the UK later this week.

The forecaster said snow showers are expected on the North Sea coast, including Scotland and the north east of England, from Wednesday and heading into the weekend.

The rest of the UK will see frosty weather from Tuesday, with temperatures forecast to dip as low as minus eight degrees Celsius in areas of Scotland.

Parts of rural England could see temperatures as low as minus five.

Oli Claydon, a spokesperson for the Met Office, said: “There will be snow showers but we are not likely to see significant accumulation on the ground.

“We could see some snow moving into southeastern parts of the UK towards the end of the week, including Hampshire.

“However, it may also remain dry.”

Mr Claydon advised the public to check the weather before travelling.

Met Office predicts when snow will hit the UK

12:32 , Joe Middleton

The Met Office has predicted when snow will hit the UK this week as the first cold snap of the year continues.

Wintry showers will bring the possibility of snow on higher ground across northern England and Scotland later today, while there is the possibilty of “more significant snowfall” across the south later in the week, the forecaster said.

Monday will be a cloudy and damp start to the week after parts of Scotland, northern England, and Wales saw temperatures dropping below freezing.

Tara Cobham and Alisha Rahaman Sarkar report on when we can expect snow this week

Met Office predicts when snow will hit the UK

What is the Met Office’s forecast for today?

12:29 , Joe Middleton

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the forecaster said: A much brighter afternoon on offer for many.

“Some showers around too, mainly along coasts and in western areas Cloudier in the southeast with rain and drizzle.”

Three dead as first heavy snowfall and blizzards of winter hit eastern Europe

12:26 , Joe Middleton

At least three people died as heavy snowfall and strong blizzards lashed eastern European countries over the weekend, forcing the closure of national roads.

Hundreds of towns and villages were left without electricity on Sunday as the first major cold snap of the season spread across Romania and Moldova, prompting an emergency declaration in Bulgaria.

A 40-year-old man in Moldova died on Sunday after the vehicle he was in skidded off the road and crashed into a tree, authorities said. Six road accidents related to the weather were reported by about midday.

Alisha Rahaman Sarkar has the latest on the snowfall in Europe

Three dead as first heavy snowfall and blizzards of winter hit eastern Europe

Good afternoon

12:25 , Joe Middleton

Hello and welcome to our blog covering the predicted snowfall in the UK later this week and blizzards that have struck eastern Europe.