Thunderstorms and winds of up to 50pmh are making their way across the UK today and tonight. The autumnal weather will see lightning strike right across southern England, before moving across to Wales.

Up to two inches of rain will hit Britain during 36 hours of torrential downpours from noon on Friday to late on Saturday, triggering possible travel chaos in Wales and northern England.

Severe weather is predicted to hit large swathes of southern England and Wales from around 6am on Saturday affecting cities including Cardiff, Plymouth, Bristol, and London.

Those across the UK looking to go for a Sunday stroll today should pack an umbrella as rain and showers are expected for most parts.

The Met Office say the chance of the UK experiencing an 'extreme summer' like the one in 2018 will increase year-on-year, as will the temperatures experienced.

Met Office experts have revealed their long range predictions and suggest the UK will see a milder winter than usual, and appear to have ruled out snow falling on Christmas Day.

Strong winds will hit the country as a deep area of low pressure crosses the UK from the west on Sunday and Monday, bringing gusts of up to 80mph around Irish coasts and 70mph to England.

Residents in the Lake District and the Peak District enjoyed Christmas card scenery with fells painted white following wintry conditions that are expected to continue throughout the day.

Snow can be expected at higher levels in Scotland today, with some parts of the UK seeing the arrival of freezing fog - while heavy rain continued to cause problems in other parts of Britain.

The Met Office said today that the UK is set for an 'unsettled' week ahead and a yellow weather warning has been issued across northwestern Scotland and North East England for Tuesday.

Strong gusts hit North East England and western Scotland today as ferries remained tied up in port due to the giant waves, meaning some islands could be cut off until the end of the week.

The Met Office issued a weather warning for today, running from 3am to 6pm, covering Snowdonia, the Pennines and the North East. The strong winds could lead to potential power cuts.

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Millions of homes all over the UK could be affected by the pressure, which could be the highest since 1957, meaning viewers may miss out on shows like Dancing on Ice and Doctor Who.

Freezing temperatures of less that -7C are expected to sweep across the UK after the high pressure which brought widespread mist and frost, gives way to freezing fog patches across parts of England.

The Met Office said dense patches of fog were causing visibility to drop to under 300ft (100m) in some areas across southern England, after temperatures fell to -4C (25F) overnight.

The Met Office has warned of 'disruptive weather' ahead, caused by low pressure steering in by the jet stream. Heavy snow is set to hit Scotland and northern England amid torrential downpours.

Ice patches are expected to form across northern Britain tonight. A light dusting of snow may also fall on north-west England, Exmoor, Dartmoor and the Welsh hills, forecasters have warned.

Forecasters have warned that temperatures could drop to -4C in some parts of the UK and several yellow weather warnings are currently in place. Snow is seen this morning in North Lanarkshire.

The cold is set to creep in from early next week and northern and eastern areas of the UK are likely to experience wintry showers and some snowfall.

Storm Ciara first brought gusts of up to 70mph on the west coast of Scotland on Saturday and it is set to sweep across the rest of the country throughout Sunday.

Following four deaths during Storm Ciara last week, the Met Office raised the alert to amber for Dartmoor and south Devon, most of Wales, the Pennines and large swathes of Yorkshire.

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More than 300 schools were shut for safety reasons today with forecasters warning up to four inches could fall over parts of northern England, Scotland Northern Ireland this week.

Met Office forecasters are warning of up to four inches of snow from the Shetland Islands down to Nottingham and across to Northern Ireland this evening. Pictured: Derbyshire snow today.

136 flood alerts have been put in place - mostly in the South - while the north has large yellow rain warnings for today before some respite on Sunday.

The atrocious weather shows little signs of abating, with Brits suffering a fifth consecutive wet weekend. Some areas will three to four inches of rain in heavy downpours and winds up to 50mph.

The Met Office has imposed consecutive weather warnings for fog, snow, wind and rain beginning today and not letting up until Tuesday lunchtime for parts of Britain.

Heavy rain will fall over Wales and North West England between 3pm today and 12pm tomorrow with homes likely to be flooded in Mid Wales between 6pm tonight and 10am tomorrow.

Temperatures will rise as high as 15 or 16C in the south on Tuesday. It will feel markedly like spring although it will be colder in the north.

The UK faces much-needed warm and lovely sunny weather this weekend after a -6C chill tonight, as the country sinks into a gloom amid the raging coronavirus crisis (St Anne's Beach).

Typical April weather will resume next week, with rain and much lower temperatures on the way. Britons have enjoyed sunshine in recent days, that has brought wisteria and tulips into bloom early.

The Met Office said the 'unsettled' theme will likely last into the beginning of May, becoming more 'settled' into the second week, May 11 onward, with 'mixed' conditions until the end of the month.

Brits will experience a mixed few days of weather this weekend, before the mercury will rise early next week, with sunny spells back on the horizon.

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