The Met Office has issued a warning for snow and ice for much of eastern England as the unusually mild start to January is brought to an end with an Arctic weather front.

The warning covers a strip of England’s east coast from Northumberland to Suffolk, where up to 3cm (1.1in) of snow is forecast in some places later on Thursday and into Friday. The snow will be confined to coastal areas before fading, the Met Office said.

A separate warning for ice and snow for the northern half of Scotland remains in place.

There has already been snow in some parts of Scotland and northern England. The Met Office is forecasting several centimetres of snow over the Highlands and Grampians, but only patchy snow in other areas.

National Rail urged passengers to check forecasts before setting out.

There are multiple weather warnings in place for snow and ice today and tomorrow. You can check before you travel using the journey planner at https://t.co/Ps8O1P8HbX and you should also check your local weather forecast #uksnow pic.twitter.com/QLJAq2Saar — National Rail (@nationalrailenq) January 17, 2019



Nicola Maxey, a Met Office spokeswoman, said the snowfall is the first at low level for 2019 and marks the first cold spell of the year.

“What we have had is a band of showers that have amalgamated and that has brought a bit of heavier snow for a short period in Newcastle. And that band of showers is going to move down the coast,” she said.

“That band will move south throughout the day, bringing some heavier showers. We are looking at accumulations of maybe 1cm-3cm – but short-lived. So it is not going to hang around for a long time.”

As the cold front heads further south, Maxey said, it is more likely to bring hail rather than snow to parts of East Anglia. She said the recent mild temperatures and warm ground, alongside rain, mean the snow is not generally settling in certain areas.

Overnight temperatures could fall to as low as -11C (12F) in Aviemore, Scotland, which would make Thursday the coldest night of the winter so far, after -10.5C was recorded in Braemar.

Across much of the UK, temperatures will be below freezing overnight, with widespread frost expected on Friday, according to Maxey.