Large swathes of the UK could be covered in up to seven inches of snow today as a freezing weather front sweeps across the country.
Yellow weather warnings for heavy snow have been issued by the Met Office, covering much of Scotland and parts of northern England.
Forecasters said snowy conditions could bring 'significant' disruption to travel across central and northern Scotland, with a warning in place as of 4am this morning until 9am on Friday.
The first of the snow is predicted to fall at around noon today in central and eastern Scotland.
Loch Rannoch in the middle of the country is expected to have the heaviest downfall, with a fair sprinkling also forecast in Finnart, Dalwhinnie, Braemar and Aboyne.
By 3pm the snow clouds will have stretched further up Scotland, to Craig in the Highlands and Lairg in the far north.
While the Met Office is unclear when the white deluge is due to start, a snow yellow weather warning is in place for large parts of North England today.
Until 3pm this afternoon people north of Lancaster, west of Newcastle and running up to the Scottish border should expect flakes to fall.
Those living in areas hit by the frosty weather are warned to be careful while out on the roads.
Come this evening only parts of central and northern Scotland will continue to see snowfall.
Elsewhere in the country will be covered in great blankets of dark clouds which are forecast to deliver hours of rain well until the night.
By Friday morning the worst of the downpours will have passed, making way for light cloud and spells of sunshine across most of England and Wales.
The only part of the UK expected to get another dusting of snow tomorrow is central Scotland, where snow should fall around Loch Rannoch throughout Friday morning.
Come the early hours of Saturday morning the wintery focus will shift to the Midlands and the Welsh border.
Snow is predicted to fall in Wrexham, Newton and Hereford at around 6am on Saturday.
At the same time Birmingham, Milton Keynes and Swindon should see light, perhaps slightly slushy showers.
Come mid-morning the earlier tentative snow fall will turn into a full on blanketing for Swindon and Milton Keynes.
The snowfall is then forecast to stop until Sunday evening, when light showers may return over parts of the West Midlands and areas north of London.
Tom Morgan, a Met Office forecaster, said: "Those travelling in snowy conditions should be wary of disruption to the roads and public transport, as much as 20cm could fall in the worst affected areas so people should be careful.
"Temperatures will be close to 0C in the coldest regions, while parts of southern England and Wales could reach spring-like temperatures, even as high as 14C.
"So there's quite a disparity depending on where you live".
People living in the affected areas of the warnings should expect disruption to public transport, delays on the roads and some flooding of homes and businesses, the Met Office said.
It comes after large swathes of the UK were left blanketed in snow last weekend.
The Met Office said the UK had experienced its snowiest spell since late January 2019, when 20 weather stations in England recorded accumulations of 5cm or more for three days consecutively.
The national forecaster has also issued yellow rain weather warnings for parts of Scotland today and tomorrow.
Between 6pm tonight and 12am tomorrow, central Scotland, Tayeside, Fife and Grampian can expect heavy rain that may cause hazards on the roads.
