Brits are bracing for an Arctic blast at the end of next week bringing heavy snow up and down the country with up to 50cm falling in Scotland.
Spring may be arriving later this month but for now the weather remains very wintry and it is set to get colder before the temperatures start to rise.
People will need to wrap up warm next week as icy conditions sweep in bringing sub-zero temperatures and there will be snow flurries which will be deep in many areas.
Maps from WXCharts show that the heavy snow will arrive next Friday, March 11 with over 20cm of snow possible in Wales and Scotland in the evening before it sweeps across the country overnight.
There is likely to be over 20cm of snow in the Midlands and flurries also on the south coast.
Further north the snowfall increases with purple images on weather maps showing that 50cm of could land in Scotland while the snow is set to stick around into the following week.
It will also be bitterly cold with temperatures likely to hit a low of around -4C on Saturday, March 12, in central England and the mercury will be close to or below zero around the country.
The Met Office outlook from March 8 to 17 says that the weather is likely to be unsettled with cold temperatures.
It stated: "Mostly dry with clear and sunny spells to start the period, with outbreaks of rain arriving to the far west and southwest.
"Likely to become windy in the north and west with a risk of coastal gales. Bands of rain with short lived snow may follow, moving northeastwards and probably stalling across central areas at times, with some eastern areas remaining dry.
"Likely to become more unsettled through the period, with Atlantic weather systems perhaps bringing spells of wet and windy weather, interspersed with brief drier and brighter interludes. Rather cool or even cold across much of the UK, but temperatures may begin to recover to nearer normal from the west later in the period."
But before that, looking to Friday it is a rainy outlook.
A Met Office forecaster said: "Most persistent rain will be in Aberdeenshire and towards Northumberland but further west drizzly bits and pieces can’t be ruled out in the central belt towards Cumbria, even Lancashire and Yorkshire seeing a damp start to the day.
"A bit more in the way of persistent rain for east Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, down towards East Anglia for a time. Showers will run in across Cerrigydrudion, Pembrokeshire, Cornwall and Devon and we will see a few just developing across Northern Ireland.
"One or two just running in across north west Scotland but here some brighter weather where sunshine will develop during the day."
UK forecast for the next 5 days
Cloudy and wet in east today. Brighter in the west.
Today:
Dull, chilly and cloudy with spells of rain and drizzle for the eastern side of the UK, though brightening up for east Scotland and northeast England. Elsewhere, brighter with sunny spells, but also a few showers in the west.
Tonight:
Cloud and rain lingering in east England. Clearer spells elsewhere with a few showers in far north and far southwest. Cold in west and north with frost, particularly in northwest.
Saturday:
Mostly cloudy southeastern and central parts with some rain, though perhaps brightening up in the southeast later. Elsewhere mostly dry with some sunshine.
Outlook for Sunday to Tuesday:
Early showers clearing southwest from England and Wales Sunday. Many areas then fine and dry through the period, with variable cloud. Rather cold by day, with frosts overnight.
