New Year begins with ice, snow, rain and sleet and temperatures as low as minus 7C
A cold snap is hitting the UK with temperatures set to plummet as low as -7C
A cold snap is hitting the UK with temperatures set to plummet as low as -7C.
Parts of the country will be hit with rain, snow, sleet and ice - but most of England will have a fairly pleasant Bank Holiday Monday.
The Met Office has issued a yellow severe weather warning for ice in Northern Ireland, Scotland and most of the east coast of England, as people can expect 'difficult driving conditions and slippery pavements'.
And Public Health England has put a level 2 cold weather health alert in place until tomorrow afternoon, with warnings of an increased danger to the elderly and vulnerable.
Met Office forecaster Emma Boorman said it was a cold start to the year that has seen large parts of the UK wake up to frost.
Warning motorists to be aware of icy spots, she said: 'Take extra caution on the roads, leave extra time.
'There could be a few icy patches on untreated surfaces, and the showers could be quite nasty too.
'If you do run into a shower, particularly in the northern third of Scotland, there could be a wintry element of sleet and snow particularly up on the hills.
'Because the breeze is coming in from the north, we tend to see the showers mostly affecting the coasts of Scotland, England and Northern Ireland.
Most of England, however, will see bright sunshine and dry weather today.
Temperatures are set to be around 4C across most parts, but Dover may reach as high as 7C.
But despite the sunshine during the day, people will feel the bite of the cold air tonight.
Met Office forecaster Helen Roberts told MailOnline: 'In England today is looking like a great Bank Holiday.
'People will be able to get out and enjoy the sunshine, especially in the South.
'The average temperature will be around 4C to 6C across the board, but it will get very cold tonight.'
The cold snap is expected to last all week, with frost mornings predicted for each day.
As most of the country gets back to work tomorrow after the festive period, many people will be scraping their car windscreens.
In hilly areas of Scotland temperatures could plummet to -7C. And central and southern areas of England could see the mercury drop to -4C.
Public Health England's cold weather alert states: 'There is a 70 per cent probability of severe cold weather between 3pm on January 1 and 3pm on January 3, in parts of England.