UK weather: Snow to be washed away by rain as 'miserable' conditions sweep across UK

Disruption expected for road and rail transport

Snow in Appleby, Cumbria, this week (Rex)

Flurries of snow are set to fall in parts of the UK before being washed away by rain as “miserable” weather sweeps across the country.

The Met Office said the south of Scotland and the Highlands would be worst affected, with transport disruption likely and a “small chance” of power cuts.

Snow could also fall in lower lying areas of northern England on Wednesday afternoon, forecasters said, causing delays to trains and on the roads.

Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said: “It’s turning windy and wet from the west through the morning.

“Already we’ve got outbreaks of rain into western Scotland with winds picking up with gusts reaching 50 to 60mph.

“Temperatures will quickly begin to recover from 0C as the wind strengthens and the cloud pushes in from the west and the rain moves in.

“As that rain pushes into cold air in will fall as snow over the higher ground of northern England Scotland and northern England and, for a time, we could see sleet and snow down to lower levels but it is only temporary, it will soon turn back to rain.

“It will be mild in the south west, 11C or 12C, but under the wind and the rain it’s not going to feel particularly pleasant.

“Meanwhile, just 2C or 3C down the eastern side of Britain and again with the wind and outbreaks of rain and sleet it’s quite a miserable afternoon to come.”

Forecasters have also said a meteorological phenomenon known as “thundersnow” could hit the UK this week.

The unusual weather, in which snow falls in a thunderstorm instead of rain, is most likely to be seen in western Scotland.