Cold weekend. Even colder into next week!

Over the last few days the weather has been dominated by gale force winds and spells of rain. As we head into the weekend the winds become much lighter.......but the temperatures will turn much colder.

The jet stream has now weakened and its track has moved further south, keeping the deep low pressure systems away from our shores. However, now the UK is to the north of the jet stream we are on its cold side, and this has allowed colder weather to begin to feed in across the country

We're expecting our coldest spell of the winter so far, and colder than any spell we had last year. As we head into next week it will get colder still, with daytime highs by Tuesday struggling to get above freezing, overnight lows well below!

The weather this weekend is not all doom and gloom - there will be drier and clearer spells mixed in with showers - but with the temperatures little above freezing theses showers are much more likely to bring some snow, especially for our hills and particularly overnight.

The Met Office has a weather warning in place for snow and ice until midday Saturday. This takes into consideration the wintry nature of any showers and freezing temperatures overnight. Some snow is expected to settle over our hills by dawn on Saturday and whether its rain, sleet, hail or snow - this will freeze when untreated ground temperatures reach zero.

There is also a Met Office Level 3 Cold Weather Alert in place for high risk groups until midday on Tuesday. This alert is essentially set up to prepare emergency services, as prolonged periods of cold weather can be dangerous - especially for the very young, very old or those with chronic diseases.

Here's your Granada forecast for the next few days.....

FRIDAY NIGHT:

Clear spells initially. Soon becoming frosty, especially in shelter. Showers will begin to feed in from the west, heavy at times and falling as snow over higher ground - becoming more frequent into the early hours. Patchy ice is likely where showers occur. Lows -3°C

WEEKEND:

Feeling bitterly cold with overnight frost and icy patches

Saturday begins cloudy, showery and wintry with frost, ice and snow over hills. A drier, brighter afternnon with fewer showers and more sunshine. Cold highs of 3-5°C with a light breeze.

Sunday will be colder with central parts of the region mainly dry and bright. There is a shower risk for Cumbria and northern parts of Lancashire at first. Some snow from the south could edge into Cheshire and the High Peak. Highs only 3°C but winds light.

OUTLOOK:

Even colder! Feeling bitter with light winds and struggling temperatures by day and night.

Monday should stay dry across most parts but with more cloud.

Tuesday will remain rather cloudy with snow showers and maximum temperatures of only 2°C as winds begin to move in from a colder easterly quarter.