Ice warnings have been issued in the UK with plunging temperatures set to cause travel chaos for some commuters.

Wintry showers will result in icy conditions in the East of England, as well as large sections of the Midlands, Scotland and Northern Ireland from 4pm today, Met Office forecasters have warned.

Yellow warnings are set to last until 11am tomorrow, with conditions expected to cause difficulty for some travellers, particularly on untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.

Temperatures are likely to be below average all week as a sudden stratospheric warming looms.

The same rapid warming, occurring high up in the stratosphere, brought the ‘Beast from the East’ in 2018.

However, experts say heavy snow is unlikely this week – although it is difficult to predict.

La Nina, a coupled ocean-atmosphere phenomenon in the Pacific, could also bring wet and stormy weather.

Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said: ‘You’ve got the two events happening at the same time so they vie against each other in a sense.

‘They’re sort of fighting for influence over the UK, we’re a very small dot in the middle of the ocean.’

Ms Maxey added that warming in the stratosphere takes at least a week-and-a-half to move down into our atmosphere.

Cold weather is predicted towards the end of January into February, but the UK is still unlikely to see another ‘Beast from the East’, she added.

The Met Office said people in the south-east could see some snow from Thursday to Saturday, as cold weather lingers with a weakening band of rain and sleet.

Showers either side will be wintry, although they are predicted to be heaviest in eastern areas.

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