Much of the UK could see three days of snow as temperatures plunge across the country.
A yellow snow warning has been issued by the Met Office for all of England and parts of Wales and Scotland this weekend, with snowy conditions forecast to continue until Monday.
This means rural communities risk being cut off, schools closed and power cut, as well as widespread travel disruption.
Cold conditions will arrive in the coming days after much of the UK was hit by strong winds and torrential rain which led to widespread flooding in the north-west of England.
The snow warning is in place from midday on Saturday until 09:00 GMT on Monday and covers all of England except for the south west, most of Wales and parts of southern Scotland.
Around 5cm of snow is expected in the Midlands, Wales and northern England over the weekend, with up to 20-30cm expected on higher ground in Wales and the Pennines. With strong winds, there may be some drifting.
Scotland and parts of Northern Ireland could also see some damaging snow. Any snow is likely to change to sleet as a light breeze temporarily arrives in southern England.
Temperatures will start to drop overnight on Wednesday, with icy conditions forecast for parts of the country on Thursday morning and some snow expected in Scotland.
It will feel increasingly bitter as arctic air sweeps across Britain by Thursday, with spells of sunshine and wintry showers, paving the way for widespread snowfall over the weekend.
The BBC’s lead weather presenter Ben Rich warned that snow is very difficult to predict, and the warning is likely to be revised in time as confidence in the data behind it increases.
“Just a small change in temperature or a low pressure track can mean an area gets rain or snow instead of snow,” he said.
The warning came as many Britons saw their New Year celebrations hit by heavy rain and widespread flooding, including in Greater Manchester. Where a major event was announced on New Year’s Day..
Areas affected include Bolton, Didsbury, South Manchester, Harpore, North Manchester, Stalybridge, Stockport and Wigan.
In Cheshire, the banks of the Bridgewater Canal collapsed in fields around Little Bollington, closing roads and evacuating properties.
Around 90mm of rain has fallen in north-west England over the past 24 hours, with more than 100mm recorded on some hills in North Wales and Cumbria.
And in London, the New Year’s Day parade was slightly delayed by high winds and heavy rain in the capital.
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