New snow and ice warnings issued across large parts of UK

The Met Office has issued snow and ice warnings for large parts of the UK this weekend.

The snow and ice alerts are in force for parts of northern England and Scotland, while most the rest of England, as well as Wales, are under a separate ice warning.

The warnings come into force between 4pm this afternoon and 8pm this evening, and continue into Saturday.

A separate snow and ice warning covering Scotland and northern England will come into force at 9pm on Saturday, and run into Sunday morning.

Check the weather forecast in your area

The weather warnings carry a medium likelihood, and caution that injures may arise from slips and falls in icy conditions, with journeys potentially delayed due to longer travel times.

It comes as a cold health alert was announced by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), covering central and northern areas, and running from today until 8am on Monday.

It warns vulnerable people could be at greater risk and possible "minor impacts" on health services due to increased demand.

Cold weather has already brought road closures to northern England, with the A66 closed between Bowes in County Durham and Brough in Cumbria because of "concentrated snowfall".

National Highways said: "Crews are on scene with winter treatment vehicles working to clear and treat the carriageway, however forecasts predict that snowfall will continue in the area throughout the morning."

The Met Office said an Arctic maritime air mass has brought in the colder conditions.

Read more from Sky News:
Pressure on Big Tech is mounting
Man Utd distance themselves from Sir Jim

What's more, a weather front bringing more rain, strong winds, and snow is expected to sweep in from the west on Sunday and impact northern areas.

The start to 2026 has brought a parade of gloomy, wet weather due to a "blocking pattern" and 26 weather stations set new monthly records for January, according to the Met Office.

Northern Ireland also endured its wettest January in 149 years.

Aberdeen, meanwhile, experienced its longest sunless spell since 1957 when it recorded zero hours of sunshine for 21 days in a row. It finally managed to break the spell earlier this week.

(c) Sky News 2026: New snow and ice warnings issued across large parts of UK