Millions of Brits will wake up to below freezing temperatures this week as a bitter Arctic blast sweeps across the Atlantic and dumps as much as 30cm of snow in some regions
22:39, 04 Jan 2026Updated 23:10, 04 Jan 2026
Brits cam expect delays and power cuts over the week(Image: Getty Images)
Millions of Brits are bracing for a blustery 30cm-deep snowfall as Met Office forecasters warn of power cuts and delays amid widespread weather warnings.
The cold snap will continue through the first days of 2026 with temperatures plummeting below freezing and the mercury only managing to reach 5C in the week ahead. An Arctic wall currently sweeping across the Atlantic is forecast to usher in a barrage of snow, sleet and bitter blizzards.
The frigid spell will spread across the UK over the coming days with the Met Office issuing a set of warnings for 12 regions that span the length of the country. A string of amber and yellow warnings for snow and ice are in force from 12am on Monday until 11am on Tuesday for vast swathes of Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Amber and yellow weather warnings are in place for the coming days (Image: Met Office)READ MORE: Stop your driveway becoming slippery this winter by using £2 Aldi productREAD MORE: UK snow: Every area set for winter blast as Met Office forecasts 30cm dump
Met Office meteorologist Matthew Lehnert warned: “As we begin the first full working week of the year, we face a range of winter weather hazards with snow showers and ice. In the north of Scotland, snow showers are expected to become more frequent on Sunday night with some locations within the Amber warning areas seeing a further 20-30 cm accumulate by Monday morning.
“Elsewhere in the UK, snow showers, ice and frost are expected at times but milder air will make attempts to spread eastward from Tuesday. This will mean rain becomes more likely in the south, but there is also the possibility of more organised snow along the boundary of the mild and cold airmasses. Strong winds could also be a feature later in the week.”
Temperatures will drop below freezing on Monday and Tuesday (Image: Met Office)
The bitter chill is expected to set off a chain of delays and cancellations across many parts of the UK with power cuts being likely in some rural communities. The Met Office said it predicted between 5-10cm of snowfall in many parts of the country and as much as 30cm falling in mainland Scotland.
Strong winds are also expected to carry blizzard conditions as temperatures drop to -1C in central and eastern Scotland on Monday. The mercury will hover around 0C in Northern Ireland and between -1C and 2C in Wales, the South West and South East.
Those living in Manchester and the surrounding areas will face the most bitter blow waking up to -4C temperatures. Conditions will remain similar on Tuesday morning with temperatures remaining around -1C t 1C in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Mancs will again wake up to bitter chills of -3C while much of Wales, the South West and South East will hover around -2C.
Brits will brace for heavy snowfall in some regions(Image: Getty Images)
Weather Warnings
Amber and yellow snow or snow and ice
Scotland: Angus, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highlands, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands
Yellow Snow and Ice
Northern Ireland: County Antrim, County Armagh, County Down, County Fermanagh, County Londonderry, County Tyrone
Wales: Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Neath Port Talbot, Newport, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Swansea, Torfaen, Vale of Glamorgan, Wrexham
East Midlands: Derbyshire
North West England: Blackburn with Darwen, Blackpool, Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Greater Manchester, Halton, Lancashire, Merseyside, Warrington
South West England: Cornwall, Devon, North Somerset, Plymouth, Somerset, Torbay
West Midlands: Herefordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Telford and Wrekin, West Midlands Conurbation, Worcestershire