This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Winter is expected to tighten its grip on the UK after widespread snow and sleet showers on Tuesday.

Wednesday is forecast to be the chilliest day of the week, with northern areas experiencing temperatures of -2C (28F). As well as icy stretches and frost in the morning, the Met Office forecasts sunny spells, particularly through the central spine of the UK. Coastal areas can expect more snow and sleet showers throughout the day.

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The Met Office issued a yellow warning for severe weather until 11am for ice across much of the country. Ice is likely to form on Wednesday morning and could lead to slippery roads, pavements and cycle paths.

A spokeswoman said Northern Ireland had “some significant accumulations” on Tuesday, which later pushed across Wales, central parts of England and towards the south-east. “We’ve seen a few centimetres in particular over the hills, but also a good dusting of snow to lower levels as well,” she said.

Wednesday would be one of the coldest days of the week, “but with a lot of sunshine to compensate”.

Commuters should allow more time for journeys and take extra care on untreated roads and pavements, she said. “It’s patches of ice left over from snow showers that people should look out for.”

The conditions caused some disruption to rush-hour rail services. Greater Anglia Rail told customers that trains would be running with speed restrictions between Hackney Downs and Cambridge, with some services cancelled, delayed by up to 15 minutes or revised.

Merseyrail (@merseyrail) ⚠️❄️ Service Update 1035❄️⚠️



Services remain disrupted across our network.



If any lines are re-opened this will be posted directly to our feed. We advise customers to continue checking this for latest updates.



Thank you for your patience. pic.twitter.com/lNP9VlzLtt

Merseyrail said that owing to ice preventing electricity from reaching the trains, services between between Aintree and Ormskirk, Hooton and Ellesmere Port, and Hooton and Chester had been cancelled. Passengers have been warned to expect severe delays and cancellations on other Merseyrail lines.

Some coastal showers will continue overnight on Wednesday, while many central and eastern areas are expected to be clear, cold and frosty.

Although the weather will warm slightly towards the end of the week, heavy rain is expected on Saturday, while Sunday is forecast to be colder and windy with sunshine and wintry showers.

The Met Office spokeswoman said: “Gradually some slightly warmer air will push in for the latter part of the week, but we have a band of rain pushing in Saturday which will push much colder air in behind it.”