Areas around the UK will face localised blizzard conditions and up to 80mph winds Press Association has reported.

This replaces seasonal highs that have been lingering for several days.

The Met Office has said Tuesday, January 4 will be “noticeably colder across the whole country”, with temperatures peaking at 8C or 9C in the south and about 4C or 5C in Scotland.

In England, this might bring snow over the Pennines and North York moors, but it will be “pretty wet stuff”, forecaster Simon Partridge said.

But in Aberdeenshire and northern and eastern Scotland, winds of up to 80mph could create “localised blizzard conditions”, with the Met Office issuing warnings of snow and ice for travellers.

Aviemore, in Scotland, saw five centimetres of snow on Monday, which would be added to overnight, Partridge said, suggesting that this might be “good news” for the Cairngorms town’s ski resorts.

“But I’m not sure they’ll be overly happy about the strength of the wind,” he added.

However elsewhere such as Lincolnshire or the Pennies, any chance of snow over the next few days is more likely to be “slushy stuff”.

Wind chill in the south could make the 8C temperatures feel much colder, Partridge said.

“It will definitely be colder, so if you’re going out, think about an extra layer tomorrow [Tuesday] … you might need anything to keep the wind out because it’s not going to be pretty,” he added.

Wednesday, January 5 is likely to be a “dry, bright day” in the west, but Thursday will see a “band of rain” move in, bringing with it icy temperatures overnight.

Towns in the south could face temperatures of minus 4C on Thursday morning.

Partridge said: “It’s basically what we should have for this time in January; it’s just that we’ve been so mild for so long that it’s suddenly a bit of a shock to the system.”

Warm winds coming from the mid-Atlantic created warmer than normal temperatures across the festive period, hovering around 16C. This made it the warmest New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day on record.

The UK Health Security Agency has urged people to check on vulnerable people in the coming days as the temperature drops.

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