The snow that swept across the UK yesterday brought up to 15cm (6 inches) across central and eastern areas by the early hours of today, when the band of snow finally cleared the SE of England. It has brought the usual travel disruption to road, rail and air and with temperatures falling close to or below freezing fairly widely tonight, along with the added complication of patchy light rain or drizzle around, we are likely to have problems with widespread ice on Monday morning for the commute to work.

The band of snow has now moved on to the near continent and has left a legacy of grey skies across central and eastern areas of England, but brighter skies across Wales and SW England should spread in across The Midlands this afternoon. SE England and East Anglia will likely remain dull, cold but dry this afternoon – with a maximum temperature of just 3C in London. It will be milder in the west today and after a bright morning we will see cloud thicken across the far SW of England, west Wales and NW England, bringing some drizzle or light rain by late afternoon. A grey day for Northern Ireland and western Scotland, with some drizzle or light rain, with sleet and snow over high ground. Eastern Scotland probably escaping with a mainly dry day with some bright or sunny spells, temperature reaching 6C in Edinburgh.

Overnight, mist and low cloud will become quite extensive across many areas, with freezing fog forming over the snow fields of central and eastern England. And to add into the mix there will be some patchy drizzle or light rain around, which combined with temperatures falling close to or below freezing over compacted snow, will lead to a risk of icy surfaces on Monday morning. Monday itself is likely to be a gloomy day for much of the UK, with fog patches slow to clear across central and eastern areas and some drizzle or light rain likely to affect the far west and eastern England at times. It will be less cold, with temperatures reaching 4-5C in the east, 7-9C in the west.

For the rest of the week, Tuesday may see some rain in the far west, which will fall as sleet and snow over the mountains, colder and drier air returning across eastern England from the east, so turning clearer and sunnier here. Wednesday to Friday it looks like being largely dry, sunny and cold by day across southern, central and eastern areas, with hard overnight frosts returning. The northwest and far west will be milder, windier and cloudier with rain at times.

Issued: Sun 05/02 12:04