An 'Arctic air mass' is bringing snow to the UK - this is what the Met Office is saying

The Met Office has issued further snow and ice warnings for large parts of the UK this weekend.

The snow and ice alerts are in force for parts of northern England and Scotland, while most of the rest of England, as well as Wales, are under a separate ice warning.

The warnings come into force between 4pm this afternoon and 8pm this evening, and continue into Saturday.

A separate snow and ice warning for northern parts of England and Scotland will come into force at 9pm on Saturday, running into Sunday morning.

The forecaster warned snow, which may be heavy at times, may cause some disruption to travel, especially over high ground during Saturday night and Sunday morning.

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It comes as a cold health alert from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) began today, covering central and northern areas, and runs until 8am on Monday.

It warns vulnerable people could be at greater risk and of possible "minor impacts" on health services due to increased demand.

Cold weather has already brought road closures to northern England, with the A66 shut between Bowes in County Durham and Brough in Cumbria because of "concentrated snowfall".

National Highways said: "Crews are on scene with winter treatment vehicles working to clear and treat the carriageway, however forecasts predict that snowfall will continue in the area throughout the morning."

The Met Office said an Arctic maritime air mass has brought in the colder conditions.

A weather front bringing more rain, strong winds, and snow is expected to sweep in from the west on Sunday and impact northern areas, it said.

"Outbreaks of rain spreading eastwards on Saturday night will fall as snow initially, even to low levels for a time, before becoming confined to higher ground as milder air arrives from the west," the Met Office said.

"Temporary snow accumulations of 1-3cm will be possible at low levels, with 3-7cm possible above about 150m elevation, and perhaps 10-15cm above 400m."

It said that ice will be another hazard, particularly across north-east England and parts of Scotland where rain could fall on frozen ground leading to "very slippery" conditions.

Chief forecaster Rebekah Hicks said additional warnings may be required and encouraged the public to keep up to date with the latest forecasts.

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More rain is expected on Monday, with the downpours continuing into the second half of next week.

The start to 2026 has brought a parade of gloomy, wet weather due to a "blocking pattern" with 26 weather stations setting new monthly records for rain in January, according to the Met Office.

Northern Ireland also endured its wettest January in 149 years.

Aberdeen, meanwhile, experienced its longest sunless spell since 1957 when it recorded zero hours of sunshine for 21 days in a row. It finally managed to break the spell earlier this week.

(c) Sky News 2026: An 'Arctic air mass' is bringing snow to the UK - this is what the Met Office is saying