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A major change to the weather this weekend will bring in an early winter cold spell with disruptive conditions, the Met Office has said.
Rain, high winds and hill snow are all likely across Friday and Saturday in the north of England before temperatures drop from Sunday onwards.
The forecast means that there is a ‘low’ possibility of ‘widespread snowfall’ across lower ground into next week, the Met Office said.
Read more: Fog leads to Preston and M6 gridlock during rush hour
They said it is much more likely that the weather will be very cold and potentially disruptive in other ways – such as icy surfaces.
Temperatures will drop as low as freezing next week in Preston, according to the Met Office forecast.
There are no weather warnings in place at this moment in time.
Rebekah Hicks, deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “A notable early winter cold spell will arrive across the north from Sunday and will likely reach all parts of the UK by midweek.
“Temperatures will drop as a northerly airflow develops, bringing in colder Arctic air. This introduces the possibility of snow, initially over high ground in the north from Sunday, with gusty winds also a potential hazard.
“There is a lot of uncertainty in what might happen after Sunday, but there are a number of scenarios which could bring some more widespread rain, along with some hill snow and stronger winds. It is possible that there may be some more widespread snowfall across lower ground, but the chance of this for any given region is low at this stage.
“What we do know is that the whole of the UK is likely to experience a spell of several days of cold, potentially disruptive weather next week.
“Warnings for wintry hazards, including snow and ice, are possible, so it’s important to stay up to date with the latest forecast.”
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