North West England braced for five-day freeze as Met Office warns of 60mph winds, ice and snow

The Met Office has warned that conditions could remain extremely wintry until midweek, with temperatures plummeting to a bitter -5C in some parts.

Strong winds, icy conditions and a chance of snow

Cold Icelandic air hit the country last night (9 Dec), causing widespread mist, frost and freezing fog, and forecasters are warning the weather will worsen later in the week.

The weather is set to turn increasingly wet as the week progresses, with strong winds of up to 60mph expected in western parts of the country.

Warnings of icy conditions and freezing fog threaten to arrive over the next few days, bringing potential disruption to both road and rail travel, while there is also a possibility of sleet and snow across high ground northern England and Scotland.

The dip in temperatures have seen bookies slash the odds various cities in the UK seeing a white Christmas this year, with the odds at 7/2 on snow hitting the likes of Manchester and Liverpool.

This week’s forecast

The forecast for tonight in the North West looks cloudy, with some patchy fog and outbreaks of drizzle in hilly parts. Temperatures are set to drop to a chilly -4C.

Tomorrow will remain cloudy with further drizzle expected, and some light winds developing later in the afternoon.

Outbreaks of showery rain will arrive on Wednesday, with some unsettled breezy weather heading into Friday, bringing colder temperatures and widespread overnight frost.