UK gets first taste of winter

Another cold weekend is on the way

Britain is going through the coldest period of the winter so far with temperatures falling to near freezing.

Easterly winds are pushing the temperature even lower, and sparking hopes of a white Christmas.

Temperatures were between 3C (37F) and 5C (41F) across the UK on Monday.

But the "wind-chill factor" is leaving people feeling much colder, as low as an estimated -7C (19F).

Before last weekend, the early part of winter has been relatively mild, with the last extreme weather coming with October's storms.

Chilly weekend

"This is the first real cold spell of the winter and it looks like possibly staying around for quite a time," he said.

There could be sleet in parts of the South West on Wednesday, but there is unlikely to be any significant snowfall in the next few days.

Thursday and Friday could be milder, but the UK will become chilly again over the weekend.

Conditions for motorists should remain stable, with minimal moisture in most places meaning most roads will not be excessively icy.

The cold weather is likely to spark betting on a white Christmas, a perennial bookmakers' favourite.

A spokesman for William Hill bookmakers said the odds on there being a snowy Christmas day had been cut from 4-1 to 7-2 on Monday as the cold snap took hold.