The UK is in its final day of the cold snap before a big jump in temperatures on Monday – but warnings for snow, ice and rain are still widely in force.
Sunday has seen temperatures of 3 to 7C (37 to 44F) across most of the country, before it’s forecast to get steadily warmer from early evening and through the night.
Monday is expected to bring highs of 13 to 14C (55 to 57F) in London, Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff.
That’s a significant increase on daytime temperatures that have recently struggled to get above freezing, with many places well below zero overnight.
Braemar in Scotland endured -17.3C on Tuesday.
But the swing from freezing to almost spring-like temperatures comes with a warning of treacherous road conditions.
Met Office alerts for freezing rain and ice cover much of northern England until 8pm on Sunday, with an overlapping yellow snow alert stretching to northern Scotland.
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Freezing rain is rare in the UK and occurs when it hits a cold surface and freezes almost instantly, producing striking effects as the raindrop spreads out momentarily before it freezes.
Heavy rain warnings also cover most of England and Wales from 6pm Sunday until Monday morning, with flooding possible in places.
A level-three cold weather alert – issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) – is also in place until midnight in England, warning of increased health risks to vulnerable people.
The leap in temperatures could also cause some pipes to burst as water thaws – as seen in parts of London this week when 60 firefighters had to help people in flooded streets.
Water UK have advised people to make sure their pipes are well insulated.
Check the weather where you are
With any frozen ponds and lakes now set to thaw rapidly, fire chiefs urged people not to set foot on the ice after several calls in the same week that four children died in an accident.
London Fire Brigade (LFB) retweeted a photo of people, including children, on a frozen pond in Wimbledon.
“Sadly more examples of people walking on frozen ponds in #London. In the strongest way possible please do not do this!” it posted.
“It may look sturdy enough to stand on, but it often isn’t. If you fall into icy water, the risk of hypothermia is high and can prove fatal,” the LFB added.
