Met office warns of snow and hail as freezing weather set to hit Britain

Wintry showers could hit just about anywhere in Britain as the blast of Arctic weather that has brought snow to northern Scotland begins to move south. Met Office forecasters say the northern hills are most likely to see snow as the cold weather moves into England over the next 36 hours. But wintry showers could develop anywhere across the country, although any snow is unlikely to settle on lower ground.

The Met Office issued a warning for northern Scotland before the snow arrived on Monday morning and began to edge south. Met Office spokesman Grahame Madge said the air moving over Britain from the Arctic will bring large thunder clouds which could result in hailstorms, thunder and lightning as well as the possibility of sleet and snow flurries. He said: “As we go over the next 36 hours those wintry showers will become quite frequent. There's a possibility of wintry showers just about anywhere in the UK tomorrow but more likely is that people anywhere, really, could see hail.”