UK weather: Forecasters issue cold weather alert, with snow on the way

The mercury will struggle to reach above 2C in most parts of the UK this week

Forecasters have issued a severe cold weather covering the whole of England (Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

Forecasters have issued a cold weather alert for England, with heavy snow and sleet forecast tonight for parts of the UK.

The Met Office has warned of a 90 per cent chance of bitterly cold weather, icy conditions and a chance of heavy snow, which will remain until Thursday.

Motorists make their way over Hannahstown Hill Belfast (Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

Walkers at Ribblehead Viaduct in North Yorkshire

The forecaster urged the public, particularly those who are vulnerable, to take extra care during the cold snap, as overnight frosts will create icy stretches on untreated surfaces, which could make driving treacherous.

On Monday, the mercury will struggle to rise above 2C across much of the UK, with heavy snow and sleet expected to hit northern England and Scotland, as scattered wintry showers spread particularly in coastal regions of the UK and Ireland, according to Meteo Group.

Overnight, snow will push south over northern Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as inland over parts of eastern England.

A dog chases a ball in a snow-covered Belfast (Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

People walking in the heavy snow in Glasgow (Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

While some parts of the UK will enjoy sunny spells on Tuesday, sleet and snow is expected to fall across south-eastern England and northern England by Thursday.

Met Office forecaster Helen Robert forecaster told The Independent: "It is going to stay cold for the rest of this week across all parts."

She added as the winds become less severe, it will feel less cold by day, but by night temperatures will drop and the UK must brace itself for frosty nights.

During Monday night, temperatures will remain sub-zero for the first part of the week, following temperatures as low as -8 in Shap, Cumbria, last night.

Asked whether last week’s extreme weather which saw thundersnow storms cause travel chaos across the UK would continue this week, Roberts said: “We haven’t seen the last of it but not as widespread so generally next few days, showers will tend to be around eastern and western extremities, along the North Sea coast and Irish Sea coasts.”