A winter chill is heading to the UK with temperatures in parts of the country forecast to dip as low as -10C (14F) on Thursday night.

Warnings are in place for ice and snow ahead of the first weekend of December.

Forecasters say travel may be disrupted as freezing conditions affect large parts of Scotland and areas of northern England, including the Pennines and the Yorkshire Moors.

The coldest weather is expected in western Scotland overnight on Thursday, where temperatures could drop to an icy -10C (14F).

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning of ice between 5pm on Thursday and 10am on Friday for the Highlands and Strathclyde as well as parts of Northern Ireland.

There is a yellow warning until 9am on Friday for snow in Durham, Northumberland, Cumbria, and North Yorkshire, as well as Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders.

A similar snow warning for much of Scotland is in place from 10pm on Thursday until 9am on Friday.

The Met Office said the cold spell is expected to last until Friday, but it will be followed by brighter weather and even some sunshine at the weekend.

The agency’s chief meteorologist Dan Suri said: “It’ll certainly feel more wintry this week, with colder weather bringing a risk of frost, ice and wintry showers.

“The risk of snow accumulating is largely confined to the northern half of the UK – mainly over higher ground in Scotland, Wales and northern England.”

But it’s not all “doom and gloom”, according to deputy chief meteorologist, Dan Harris, despite the cold and unsettled weather – including freezing fog.

“We’re keeping an eye on other areas where there is potential for disruptive snow – in particular central and southeast England and the hills of northern England,” he said.

“It’ll stay cold into the weekend with rain, showers and hill snow continuing across many areas, along with overnight frosts.

“We could also see some stubborn areas of freezing fog develop more widely, which at this time of year can persist all day.

“However, it’s not all doom and gloom, as there’s likely to be an increased chance of dry, bright, and perhaps even sunny weather on offer as the weekend progresses.”

Sky weather presenter Nazaneen Ghaffar said: “Ice and snow will be the main hazards across the north of the UK for the rest of this week, especially across central and eastern Scotland and northern England on Friday morning where snow could even fall to low levels, but the bulk of accumulations will be across high ground of these areas.

“Some southern parts of the UK on Friday morning may also be at risk of some sleet or snow for a time.

“Mainly it’s for the west of Wales, southwest England and perhaps across areas of East Anglia and the southeast of England – but the risk is low for these areas and will be mostly over high ground.

“The weekend will remain cold, with the risk of any wintry outbreaks over the Scottish mountains.

“There will be spells of rain or showers elsewhere, mainly across coastal areas, although Sunday looks to be dry for many areas with increasing amounts of sunshine.”

The Met Office said temperatures going into next week would be lower than the average annual temperature, which is usually around 7-9C (45-48F).

Traffic Scotland operator manager Douglas Cairns said a record number of gritters had been made available to keep traffic moving this winter.

“The first severe weather warning of the winter for snow and ice is always a timely reminder for people to check they are winter ready and have made appropriate preparations,” he said.

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