Forecasters warn the white stuff could hit ‘anywhere in Britain’ by end of next week

Britain could be blanketed by snow next week as freezing temperatures of around -5C sweep across the UK and bring harsher and frostier conditions heading into December.

The plunging thermometers will see freezing fog patches develop across north and western parts of England  from midweek, with forecasters predicting the chance of snow showers ‘almost anywhere across the UK’ on Friday and next weekend.   

The oncoming chill comes as most parts of England today saw mercury levels drop down to an average of just 3C or 4C this morning as heavy clouds and outbreaks of rain made their way across the nation.  

It also comes after the Met Office today issued a severe weather warning for thick fog in the south-west Midlands and West Country to begin at around 5pm today until 8am on Monday and warned visibility could be reduced to between 50 to 100 metres.

A Met Office spokesperson said: ‘Sunday will be mostly dry, but with a lot of low cloud and some hill fog around. 

‘Best of the sunshine will be across northeast mainland Scotland, west Wales and southwest England and highs near average at 7 to 10C, locally 12 in the South West.

‘On Monday after a murky, locally frosty start in the south some brighter weather will develop briefly, but wet and rather windy weather affecting Scotland and Norther Ireland will move south and east through the day. Sunshine and scattered showers will follow into the north later, with highs of 8 to 11C.

‘By Tuesday it will be a mostly fine day with some sunshine and gentle winds after a frosty start for some.

‘Cloudier though across the extreme west and northwest, with some rain and a strengthening wind developing across west/northwest Scotland.

‘It will turn colder from the north and west from midweek, with a chance of some snow, mainly on hills in the north.’

As temperatures continue to dip through the week, forecasters predict snow is likely ‘almost anywhere in the UK’.

The Met Office spokesperson added: ‘We could see some snow falling in showers almost anywhere across the UK on Friday and next weekend.

‘However, accumulating snow is most likely on hills above about 300m in the north and west, with any accumulations at lower levels and elsewhere likely to be brief and more limited. Frost and ice likely to end the week too.’ 

With freezing temperatures forecast to sweep across the UK in early December, bookmaker Coral has already given even odds for this winter to be the coldest since records began. 

The firm makes it 3-1 for snow to fall in Edinburgh on Christmas Day and 5-1 for a white Christmas for Londoners.

‘The outlook for this winter looks very cold and we make it just evens now that we go on to suffer the coldest since records began in the UK,’ said Coral’s Harry Aitkenhead.

‘The good news from that for those dreaming of a White Christmas is that the chances do look a lot more likely than the last few years.’

Earlier today, forecasters issued a yellow fog warning for Cardiff and the south of Wales and warned that the weather could even lead to flight cancellations and delays.

The warning also affects Cornwall and Devon, Caerphilly, Newport, Swansea, parts of Somerset, Wiltshire and Oxfordshire. 

The fog, which is expected to reduce visibility to between 50 to 100 metres in some areas, will lift by Monday.