The Met Office said temperatures in parts of the UK will drop below freezing and will not top mid-single figures during the day on Tuesday or Wednesday. A yellow weather warning for snow and ice will be in place for London, the Thames Valley, East Anglia, parts of the Midlands, South Wales and Northern Ireland from 9pm on Monday night until 10am on Tuesday. TalkTV's forecaster Isobel Lang said: "Across southern Britain and into Wales and the midlands we could see some sleet or snow and the threat of icy conditions." She added: "That could be troublesome, with a centimetre or two of snow in some areas."
Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said temperatures could drop to -1C in Manchester and -2C in London on tonight. Even colder overnight conditions are set to hit cities later in the week - plunging to minus 4C in London and minus 6C in Birmingham and Belfast. Mr Madge said conditions could be similar to those experienced during a cold snap in December 2022 and may not lift for almost a fortnight. He said: “Temperatures will be much, much colder than we would expect at this time of year. “We expect these conditions to remain in place until at least next weekend and possibly longer because sometimes these conditions can be quite stubborn and not easily subject to change.”
The Met Office warned travel disruption is likely and journey times by car, train and bus may take longer than usual. People are at risk of slipping and falling on icy patches of untreated roads, pavements and paths while some rural communities could become cut off from the power grid. Mr Madge said: “This is a disruptive spell of weather which could have quite serious consequences for some. “Listen to the forecast, take account of weather warnings and expect to see some potentially disruptive conditions wherever you are.” The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has placed north-east England, north-west England and Yorkshire under a level three cold weather alert, with the rest of England at level two, until midnight on Thursday. A level three alert means there is a 90% chance of severely cold weather, icy conditions or heavy snow, which could increase the health risk to vulnerable patients.