The cold snap will continue across most of Britain throughout Sunday and into early next week, with warnings of potential travel disruption in Scotland.
The Met Office has put in place yellow weather warnings of snow and ice for much of the north of Scotland throughout Sunday and Monday.
Widespread frosts with temperatures as low as -10C are expected in some rural parts of the UK, while arctic winds will arrive by Sunday morning.
Chris Bulmer, the Met Office’s deputy chief meteorologist, said: “Snow showers from Sunday onwards are most likely to move inland from coasts exposed to northerly winds.
“The focus of snow showers will be over northern Scotland, but parts of the North Sea and Irish Sea coasts may also see some snow at times.”
The warning spans Stonehaven and Aberdeen in the east to Skye and the Western Isles, with travel disruption possible due to roads and railways being affected, while longer journey times by road, bus and train are likely.
Bulmer added: “There are a couple of weather systems for Tuesday and Wednesday which we are keeping an eye on that bring the potential for disruptive snow for some regions.
“With cold air firmly in place, any weather systems that move across the country next week will bring mainly snowfall inland.”
The Met Office also warned of icy patches on roads, pavements and cycle paths, and said there is a small chance that power cuts will occur.
A yellow weather warning of snow and ice has also been issued for Northern Ireland early next week, coming into force on Monday at 3am and running for the rest of the day.
On Tuesday, there is potential that the snow could move inland over parts of Northern Ireland and southern Scotland, as well as northern England. By Wednesday, there is a risk of snowfall across southern parts of the UK.
Amy Fellows, national network manager at National Highways, said: “Freezing conditions bring so many hazards such as snow and ice, so take every possible step to understand your journey in advance and allow lots of extra time when travelling to prepare for the unexpected.”
The UK Health Security Agency has a Cold-Health Alert in force, meaning there is a possibility of significant impacts for the health and social care sector.
