TEMPERATURES are set to drop over the first February weekend, with large parts the UK braced for a wintry chill and weather warnings in place over much of Scotland.
The mercury could plunge to freezing in some areas, while heavy snowfall may cause significant disruption to transport and power.
The Met Office predicts as much as 50cm of snow in higher areas and 10-15cm in lower ones causing "dangerous conditions" across Scotland.
Amber and yellow weather warnings are in place over the next few days, with a warning for snow and ice covering the length of Britain from midday on Saturday to midnight on Sunday.
By next week, temperatures will be struggling to get much above 0C in quite a few places, with some areas such as the Pennines and high parts of Scotland seeing several degrees below that.
Birmingham faces lows of minus 2C by Tuesday morning, while a strong easterly wind will make it feel many degrees below freezing in some parts, according to Met Office forecaster Steven Keates.
He said it will be “really unpleasant” to be outdoors, adding: “If you do have to go outside there are lots of layers required I think.”
Keates said the south will see a “marked” drop in temperatures across Saturday and Sunday, with some parts possibly seeing as much as 5-10cm of snow.
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“Enough snow is on the cards I think to cause potentially quite a bit of disruption in the south east of England through Sunday, and potentially very early next week as well,” he said.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) currently also has five flood alerts and two flood warnings in place in Scotland.
Tayside is a area of main concern, with flood alerts being issued for areas around Innerpeffray on the river Earn.
It comes as the first snowdrops of the season have begun to emerge, often seen as the start of spring.
You can track the Met Office's weather warnings here or follow Sepa's flood alerts here.
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