Thursday night saw temperatures across the UK fall to between -6 °C and -8 °C in many areas and as low as -11.3 °C at Sennybridge, Powys, Wales.

Snow showers are expected along parts of the eastern coastline into the weekend but most places will continue to see bright, dry and cold conditions until Saturday.

Things are set to change as we go through Saturday, however, as an Atlantic front moves in from the west.

Paul Gundersen, Deputy Chief Forecaster at the Met Office, said: "As this front moves in from the west it will come up against cold air and we're likely to see a mixture of rain, sleet and snow across the UK.

"It's a finely balanced situation, so there is some uncertainty about which areas will see the most significant snowfall, but at the moment the risk is highest in central and eastern areas where we could see up to 5-10cm of snow.

"With this risk of snow and ice over the next few days it is important people stay up to date with our weather forecasts and warnings for the latest information."

Met Office weather forecast for risk of snow this weekend (PDF, 86 kB)

The rain, sleet and snow will be replaced by dry and frosty weather overnight into Sunday with ice expected to be an additional hazard in many areas for Sunday.

Thereafter this east/west split is likely to continue, with the south and east remaining cold with ice and freezing fog likely. The north and west should be milder.