UK weather forecast: Snow and heavy rain expected before Atlantic air brings warmer temperatures and strong winds

65mph gusts could bring travel disruption to much of northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland

Snow is forecast to fall in the UK over the next few days, before a weather system brings warmer temperatures and "very strong winds" of up to 65mph to parts of the country.

The Met Office issued a yellow warning over gusts it said would cause travel disruption on Friday across much of northern England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Meteorologists said there was a small change of damage to buildings, along with injuries and danger to life from flying debris.

“We’ve got a low pressure system coming through on Friday that’s likely to bring some strong winds and potentially some heavy rain,” Nicola Maxey, a spokesperson for the Met Office, told The Independent.

“It’s looking fairly unsettled all week. I would think we’re probably looking at around 60-65mph [winds], quite easily.”

Ms Maxey said the low pressure system would likely move across the country over Thursday night, arriving over northern Scotland by midday on Friday.

“I would think Northern Ireland, central and southern Scotland will see the worst of those winds and the rain,” she added.

The country woke up to a frosty morning on Tuesday, with rain predicted to spread northeastwards from Cornwall over the latter half of the day, becoming especially heavy over south Wales.

The rain could perhaps turn to snow as it reaches the Pennines and Cumbrian Fells, Ms Maxey said, and northern and eastern Scotland were expected to be frosty.

“We are expecting some snowfall over higher ground, over 4-5cm in northern England and Scotland,” she added.

Bookmaker Coral issued odds of 1-4 for snow to fall in any major UK city before the end of the week. It is also offering 1-2 for a white Christmas this year, with evens for this winter being the UK’s coldest ever.

A yellow weather warning for ice was issued for northwest Scotland up until 10am on Tuesday, and the Met Office warned of the increased likelihood of injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces.

The Environment Agency has issued seven flood alerts across England, warning members of the public to be prepared.

A low mist covers the fields as the sun rises over the Vale of Pewsey near Marlborough in Wiltshire (Andrew Matthews/PA)

Ms Maxey said there would be some bands of rain across the country on Wednesday, with some heavy rain predicted across southern and central areas of the UK.

Heavy rain in western areas was predicted on Thursday morning, which will travel across the UK from the west to the east. Fog was also predicted on Thursday.

Ms Maxey said conditions were expected to become milder in the south, with temperatures up to 15C likely in London. Parts of Scotland were forecast to remain cold, with temperatures as low as 4C predicted for Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The low pressure system will bring moist warmer air as it arrives in the UK from the west towards the end of the week, she explained, having picked up moisture from the Atlantic Ocean.

“So while it’s windy and changeable, it’s not as cold as if it was from the east.”

Saturday is expected to be breezy with sunshine and showers.

“Next week is looking more settled and perhaps a little colder,” Ms Maxey added,” but nothing that’s unusual for this time of year.”