Snow way! The big freeze is on its way back …

IT may be the middle of March, but don’t even think about packing away your winter woollies. A further chilly blast is on its way – bringing yet more ice and snow.

A weekend of snowfall and bitter easterly winds is expected all over the UK – with Sunday worst hit.

Cold air is sweeping in from Siberia and Scandinavia, and the Met Office set to issue warnings for snow over large swathes of the country.

Forecasters are predicting further snowfall on hills in northern England on Friday, extending down the eastern side of the country on Saturday.

And the wintry conditions could become more widespread by Sunday, extending further west. Harsh nighttime frosts are also expected.

The Met Office has not yet issued weather warnings for the snow because precise details of where it will fall and likely accumulations are still unclear.

But further freezing weather would come less than a fortnight after the ‘ Beast from the East’ brought as much as 19in of snow and cut off some villages for a week due to 20ft-deep drifts.

Thousands of schools were closed, British Airways cancelled hundreds of short-haul flights from Heathrow, and London City Airport also scrapped many of its services.

Met Office spokesman Nicola Maxey said: ‘The cold weather is due to return because of high pressure building over Scandinavia, bringing easterly winds from the continent.

‘The circumstances are similar to those which brought the Beast from the East but it’s unlikely to be as cold because we’re in the middle of March.’ Miss Maxey said the first snow could arrive on high ground in the North due to a band of rain hitting the eastern side of Britain on Friday.

Saturday is expected to see wintry showers being blown in from the North Sea. ‘On Sunday, the chance of snow could be more widespread, extending across the country, and temperatures could fall to 3C (36F) even in London. Wind chill will make it feel colder,’ she added.

The Met Office’s long-range forecast states that it will turn ‘very cold through Sunday and Monday with widespread, locally severe, frosts overnight’.

It adds: ‘There will be quite frequent snow showers for a time across central, eastern and southeastern parts, with a few showers reaching the West.’

Later next week, forecasters say ‘the brightest and driest conditions [are likely] in the North West, but probably extending across other parts, with snow showers confined to the South East.’

Before then, warnings have been issued for flooding in south-west England, where up to 1.3in of rain is expected.

The Met Office says possible flooding and travel disruption are likely. Winds of up to 50mph are also expected.

Meanwhile wet weather is forecast for 24 hours from noon today in Northern Ireland, where up to 1.6in of rain could fall in the mountains and 0.5 to 0.75in elsewhere.