The cold winter weather has hit home for the first time and according to forecasters, the chilly conditions are here to stay in Greater Manchester.
The city region has woken up to ice and freezing temperatures for the past two mornings, with overnight temperatures falling to as low as -4C in parts.
The conditions have led to pre-Christmas, picture-postcard scenes, but the Met Office has issued an urgent weather warning over the Arctic freeze. Forecasters have put in place a yellow-coded weather warning for ice across Greater Manchester, covering all of the city region.
It's due to come into force from 4pm today - Thursday - until 12 noon on Saturday, December 10. The Met Office said a severe cold snap from the Arctic has hit the UK, bringing abnormally freezing temperatures for this time of year.
People have been warned to expect ice patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths, and warnings have been issued to motorists.
Tonight - Thursday - the Met Office said temperatures would drop to around freezing by 6pm, with the region not expected to warm up any further until at least Friday afternoon. The wind chill factor, however, is forecast to make it feel as low as -2C.
Overnight into Friday, temperatures are expected to drop to as low as -3C, although it's likely to feel a lot chillier than that. A higher chance of rain and mist has been forecast for the earlier hours of Friday - which is expected to be another cold start as the weekend approaches.
Some sunshine is expected from 9am on Friday, although temperatures are forecast to hover around the freezing mark and 1C for the rest of the day.
And the Met Office statistics for Greater Manchester paint a similar picture for the rest of the weekend, despite the weather warning for ice running out on Saturday.
Maximum temperatures for Saturday are a slightly warmer 2C, before that figure falls to 1C for Sunday, with overnight lows expected to reach -3C. Temperatures should climb into next week, but not by much and it should remain bitterly cold, added the Met Office.
Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Steve Willington, said: "As an Arctic maritime airmass settles across the UK temperatures will fall with widespread overnight frosts, severe in places, and daytime temperatures only a few degrees above freezing.
"However, the cold air from the Arctic will also bring brighter conditions, with some dry, sunny spells, particularly away from the coast and where winds are light it could feel pleasant in the sunshine. Some patchy freezing fog is also likely."
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a Level 3 Cold Weather Alert covering England through to Monday, December 12, which warns of 'severe cold weather', health risks to the vulnerable and possible disruption of services.
Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Jason Kelly, said: "Through the weekend and into next week cold weather will continue, with an ongoing chance of wintry showers, mainly for coasts, and freezing fog patches inland.
"An area of low pressure may then threaten southern and southwestern parts of the UK through mid-week. Confidence in the exact track of this system is low, but should it push precipitation into the UK, then this would readily turn to snow, with a lower chance of freezing rain. How far north the milder air gets is also open to a lot of uncertainty, but for now, many central and northern areas are likely to remain in the Arctic airmass."
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