Large parts of the UK will be blanketed with snow and ice as chilly Arctic air blows in a bitterly cold start to 2026.<\/p>\n
Snowfall is forecast for all four countries on Friday or Saturday, with blizzard conditions and \u201cthundersnow<\/a>\u201d expected in the Scottish Highlands.<\/p>\n The Met Office said up to 40cm (16in) of snow was possible on higher ground in northern Scotland<\/a>, with 10cm-20cm in lower-lying areas.<\/p>\n Revellers saw in the new year with sub-zero temperatures across large parts of Britain at midnight on Wednesday, dropping to -6.2C (20.8F) in Bournemouth and -2.5C in Cardiff.<\/p>\n The wintry conditions are forecast to continue for several days as a result of Arctic air moving across the UK from Scandinavia.<\/p>\n Forecasters said delays and cancellations to rail and air travel were likely, in addition to power cuts and disruption on the roads. Some rural communities could become cut off, the Met Office said on Thursday.<\/p>\n Ch Supt Scott McCarren, Police Scotland\u2019s head of road policing, urged motorists to consider whether their journeys over the next few days were essential.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cIf you need to travel, please drive to the conditions, be prepared for delays and allow extra time for your journey.<\/p>\n \u201cPlease don\u2019t drive through road closures. The decision to close roads is not taken lightly and is done for public safety.\u201d<\/p>\n The northern part of Scotland, including large parts of the Highlands and the region around Aberdeen, is expected to have the heaviest snowfall into the weekend.<\/p>\n Met Office amber weather warnings are in place for those areas, meaning severe disruption is likely, while yellow warnings for snow and ice cover large parts of the Highlands, Northern Ireland<\/a>, Wales and England.<\/p>\n The worst of the disruption is, however, expected to have cleared by early next week, when most schools are due to reopen and people return to work.<\/p>\n Health leaders have warned that the cold snap will place further \u201cextraordinary pressure<\/a>\u201d on the NHS after an extremely busy winter.<\/p>\n