Met Office issues weather warnings with up to 25cm of snow to hit some areas

Large parts of the UK are expected to see snow today, with up to 25cm forecast in parts of England and Wales.

The Met Office issued amber weather warnings for snow and ice on Thursday for parts of northern England and north Wales, while a mixture of yellow rain and snow warnings will be in force across the four nations.

An amber warning across the Peak District and south Pennines is in place from noon until 6pm on Thursday, with up to 25cm of snow forecast across high ground above 300 metres.

The Met Office said strong and gusty easterly winds may lead to “some drifting in places”, and that 10-15cm of snow is expected quite widely across the warning area. A separate amber warning for snow and ice will be in place between 8am and 3pm on Thursday across north Wales and north-west Shropshire, with 20-25cm of snow forecast in areas above 200 metres.

With milder air arriving from the south, there is a chance that the snow could turn to “freezing rain across some higher routes above 200 metres”, according to the Met Office.

An amber weather warning means travel delays on roads are likely; public transport vehicles and cars could be stranded; power cuts are possible; and some rural communities could be cut off temporarily. In the area covered by the snow and ice warning, the Met Office said untreated pavements and cycle paths could be impassable.

Further yellow snow and ice warnings cover southern and central Scotland from 6pm on Thursday to 3pm on Friday, and from 10am on Thursday until 6pm on Friday in Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, a yellow rain warning covering much of southern England and south-east Wales – including London and Cardiff – has been issued from 2am on Thursday to 6am on Friday, with 15-25mm likely and up to 45mm on higher routes.

A yellow weather warning means there is a small chance of power cuts, travel delays and rural communities being cut off by the snow. A yellow warning for rain means that flooding is possible, as well as delays to journeys on the roads.

Looking ahead to the weekend in its long range forecast for Friday 9 February to Sunday 18 February, the Met Office said: "Cold air already established across the north of the UK is likely to extend to all parts through next weekend.

"As it does so there is a risk of further sleet or snowfall for some parts, but this should be more limited in extent than earlier in the week."

Met Office meteorologist Amy Bokota said that most places would see a return to milder conditions by the end of Thursday. She added: “It will be quite a short-lived cold snap for much of the UK, but continuing on a little bit longer through parts of northern England and Scotland into the early hours of Friday and the start of the weekend.”

However, Met Office meteorologist Liam Eslick said that it looked like a “cold spell” was on its way as an area of high pressure moves in over the UK towards next week. He said: “It looks like we could see some cooler conditions starting to come back towards next week and it does look like it’s going to stick around towards the back end of February.”

• Read more: Met Office forecasts 'colder than normal' weather for February (Yahoo News UK)

Yahoo breaks down what the weather will be like for each region of the UK, according to the Met Office.

London and the South East

• Thursday

Heavy rain throughout the morning will gradually clear north with a drier spell in the early afternoon. Heavy rain and wind moving into southern parts in late afternoon. Maximum temperature 13C.

• Friday

Outbreaks of heavy rain or showers. Cloudy but mixed with possible bright spells in the afternoon. Winds easing. Maximum temperature 12C.

• Saturday to Monday

Milder with outbreaks of heavy rain Mixed with sunny spells. Mostly light winds.

South West

• Thursday

Heavy rain throughout the morning with blustery winds. Rain easing briefly before heavy rain returning later in the afternoon. Maximum temperature 13C.

• Friday

Cloudy with showery outbreaks of rain, turning heavy at times. Winds lighter and feeling mild. Maximum temperature 12C.

• Saturday to Monday

A mixture of bright and dry intervals with a risk of longer spells of rain. Breezy at times with average temperatures.

Midlands

• Thursday

Outbreaks of rain and snow for much of the day in the East Midlands. Heavy snow over modest high ground with a mix of rain and snow at low levels. Becoming windy and cold. Maximum temperature 4C.

In the West Midlands it will be a cloudy day with heavy outbreaks of rain turning into sleet and snow in the north. Blustery at times and feeling chilly. Maximum temperature 6C.

• Friday

Heavy rain showers in the East Midlands with lots of cloud. Brighter spells possible in the afternoon. Becoming milder. Maximum temperature 11C.

Staying unsettled in the West Midlands with heavy rain at times. Lighter winds and feeling milder. Maximum temperature 11C.

• Saturday to Monday

Milder in the East Midlands, with outbreaks of rain or showers, heavy at times. Some sunny spells and light winds.

In the West Midlands there will be a mixture of dry and bright spells with longer spells of rain. Temperatures close to average.

North East

• Thursday

A sunny start will lead into rain and snow in southern parts, with heavy snow most likely over modest high ground. Northern parts dry until later afternoon. Becoming windy. Maximum temperature 4C.

• Friday

Rain and snow continuing through much of the day but snow confined to the highest ground. Rain everywhere else. Wind easing. Maximum temperature 6C.

• Saturday to Monday

Milder but with further spells of heavy rain. Risk of snow over high ground on Sunday and Monday. Light winds.

North West

• Thursday

A chilly and frosty start turning cloudy with outbreaks of heavy rain turning to sleet and snow at times. Cold with a brisk wind. Maximum temperature 5C.

• Friday

Staying cloudy with outbreaks of rain and possible snow. Winds easing through the afternoon. Maximum temperature 7C.

• Saturday to Monday

A mixture of bright and dry intervals with a risk of long spells of rain. Lighter winds and average temperatures.

Scotland

• Thursday

Cold and dry with sunny spells in the Highlands. Some snow showers in the north. Maximum temperature 3C.

In southern Scotland it will be dry and bright in the morning before outbreaks of sleet and snow later. Maximum temperature 4C.

• Friday

Cloudy and windy in the Highlands with snow showers merging to longer spells of snow. Mainly dry in the west. Maximum temperature 2C.

Cloudy, windy and cold in southern Scotland, with sleet and snow turning to heavy rain in the afternoon. Maximum temperature 4C.

• Saturday to Monday

Windy on Saturday in the Highlands with outbreaks of sleet and snow turning to rain. Cloudy with rain and hill snow on Sunday and Monday.

In the south of Scotland, a cloudy weekend with outbreak of rain but possibly brighter on Sunday. Some snow on hills, winds easing.

Northern Ireland

• Thursday

Dry and bright start but cloud thickening to bring rain, sleet and snow. Risk of heavy snow over hills. Maximum temperature 3C.

• Friday

Cloudy with rain and hill snow. Easing throughout the day. Maximum temperature 4C.

• Saturday to Monday

Rain on Saturday but winds easing. Patchy rain on Sunday and a drier day on Monday – but with some showery rain.

Wales

• Thursday

Unsettled with outbreaks of heavy rain turning to sleet and snow. Risks of freezing rain over higher ground. Blustery leading to drifting snow. Maximum temperature 11C.

• Friday

Cloudy with showery outbreaks of rain, turning heavy at times. Feeling milder in the south. Maximum temperature 10C.

• Saturday to Monday

Brighter and drier intervals with a risk of showers or longer spells of rain. Lighter winds and average temperatures.