After the wintry conditions of recent days, the focus is now on wetter and windier weather.

A series of low-pressure systems will arrive from the Atlantic over coming days, bringing unsettled but less cold conditions than recently.

Rain and snow will slowly gradually clear eastwards on Friday afternoon. Strong winds and showers will follow but there will be brighter spells too.

Steve Ramsdale is a Chief Forecaster for the Met Office. He said: “Overnight into Saturday another band of rain will spread from the southwest. Across northern hills there are likely to be wintry showers, including snow. Conditions will become colder with icy patches likely ahead of the rain and snow. Weather warnings for ice are in place and people travelling should take note of potentially hazardous travelling conditions.”

After a quieter day on Saturday – when most places will be less cold than of late – further heavy rain and strong winds are expected Saturday night and into Sunday morning. Met Éireann has named the area of low-pressure bringing the strong winds as ‘Storm Dylan’ and the strongest winds are expected to affect the Republic of Ireland. Storm Dylan will also see gusty winds affecting Northern Ireland and southern Scotland. The Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning for Sunday from midnight until 3pm for these areas, with a small chance of tiles being blown off roofs and longer journey times.

Away from the effects of Storm Dylan, a yellow weather warning for rain is in place for southwest England and South Wales on Saturday night. The rain is expected to be heavy in places, causing possible transport disruption, due to surface water and spray, and the potential for localised flooding.

Looking ahead to the New Year period, Steve Ramsdale added: “Colder and showery weather looks likely for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day will feature wintry showers in the north. Unsettled weather looks likely to continue through the first week of January with further bouts of milder wet and windy weather interspersed with colder bright but showery periods.”

Whatever weather we experience over the next few days you can make sure that you and those around you are prepared for winter weather and can cope with its impacts. You’ll always find the most up to date information on our forecast pages, Twitter and Facebook, as well as our mobile app.