Snow is falling in
London as a cold snap dubbed the "mini beast from the east" sweeps in as the Met Office
weather forecast issues yellow 'be aware' warnings across the UK. Most places are likely to see some wintry showers by the end of the day, with gusty winds bringing bitterly cold temperatures.
An amber weather warning for snow and ice is in place across north-west England, Yorkshire and the Midlands, as well as in London, the South East, and east of England, from 4pm on Saturday until 9am on Sunday.
And a yellow warning for snow and ice in force for the entire day covers nearly the whole of Britain.
The latest Met Office forecast read: "Cold and cloudy, with a bitterly cold wind. Spells of mostly light snow this morning."This afternoon as most areas north of London become drier, so the snow further south will become locally heavier. Some significant accumulations are possible. Maximum temperature 3 °C."
More than 70 flights from London's Heathrow Airport have been cancelled, mostly on short-haul routes, although British Airways services to New York and Chicago were among those affected.A spokesman for British Airways said: "Poor weather conditions are forecast across parts of the UK across the weekend, so we have merged a small number of flights travelling to or from Heathrow Airport.
"During cold weather conditions aircraft have to be de-iced prior to departure to ensure that they are safe and additional measures are taken to ensure the safety of our operation is maintained at all times."
A spokeswoman for the airport said: "While this weekend's weather may result in minor delays and some airlines consolidating flights, significant disruption at Heathrow is not currently expected.
"We are working closely with our on-site Met Office to monitor the further snowfall expected throughout the weekend.
"As always, we advise passengers to check their flight status with their airline before coming to the airport."
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkhill said: "It will be bitterly cold with some snow for many places over the weekend.
"There are some very strong winds, meaning it could feel as low as minus 7 or minus 8 for some people."
Sunday is also likely to see further snow, especially for parts of the South West, where as much as 25cm could fall on higher ground.
Mr Burkhill said: "Even at lower levels we could see 5-10cm or even 10-15cm."
"It's not common for these areas to see this type of snow - it won't be the same amount we saw a few weeks ago, but it is still likely to be enough to cause some problems."
A weather forecast from Meteogroup said: "A very cold night with a freshening easterly wind."Remaining unsettled with snow and wintry showers across many areas of the country, the snow falling to low levels at times with accumulations. However, becoming drier in the south eastern quarter of the UK by dawn as the snow begins to clear west."
Drivers have also been urged to be prepared before setting out on journeys this weekend, with Highways England advising motorists to avoid trans-Pennine roads "if possible".
The cold weather should only last a few days though - by Tuesday, temperatures will be getting back to average for the time of year.
Meteorologist Martin Bowles said the weekend's weather could be dubbed a "mini beast from the east".
He said: "We don't expect anything like the same impact as a result of it, although there will be some snow about."