Snow alerts as Siberian winds bring 'mini Beast from the East'

Up to 5cm (2in) of snow could fall in some parts of the country and up to 20cm (8in) on higher ground - prompting yellow snow and ice warnings to be issued for Saturday.

Snow is expected to fall in the Midlands in the early hours of Saturday with temperatures sinking to -1C (30C) overnight.

And they will fail to nudge above freezing all day with gusty winds making it feel colder.

Into Sunday the breeze will remain with temperatures again barely raising about 0C (32C).

Gritters in Staffordshire will be out in full force to carry out pre-emptive strikes against the Beast, but drivers are still warned to drive carefully.

Latest weather forecast

Met Office meteorologist Mark Wilson said: "The best way to describe this is as a real return to wintry conditions.

"The last couple of days have been quite mild across parts of the UK - we got to around 16C yesterday in Wales - but by tomorrow all of us will be back to very cold weather.

"Bitterly cold is the best way to describe it - temperatures on the face of it probably just around freezing but with wind it's going to feel well below freezing."

The cold weather should only last a few days though - by Tuesday temperatures will be getting back to average for the time of year.

Meteorologist Martin Bowles said the weekend's weather could be dubbed a "mini beast from the east".

He said: "We don't expect it to be Beast from the East Mark Two - you could call it a mini Beast from the East I suppose, as it is a less severe version of it.

"We don't expect anything like the same impact as a result of it, although there will be some snow about."

The Met Office warnings for snow and ice begin at 6pm on Friday and run into Saturday.

The snow warning for Sunday shows vast swathes of the south, central and east of England covered by the yellow advisory.

The warning states that travel disruption is possible, rural communities could become cut off, vehicles may be stranded and power cuts may occur.

The Met Office has also issued warnings for snow and ice in the North, Midlands, East and South East on Saturday, and the whole of England on Sunday.

Highways England’s head of road safety, Richard Leonard, said: “Our gritter drivers will be out treating our roads around the clock but it is still important to drive to the conditions when snow is forecast.

“Make sure you keep your distance and reduce your speed if you need to travel because, even in conditions that seem normal and when the snow is not settling, it can be slippery if ice patches have formed, or where fresh salt has not been worked into the carriageway.

“Drivers should plan their journeys, monitor weather reports and pack a snow kit of blankets, food, water and a shovel if they really need to travel.”

The cold snap comes weeks after the "Beast from the East" and "Storm Emma" sparked massive disruption across the country in early March.

Lows of -5C (23F) recorded in the final days of February which marked the lowest temperature in the week leading up to March 1, the first day of spring, since 1986.