Icy cold weather is expected to give way to a warmer weekend, after the eastern half of England woke up to temperatures as low as -4C (24.8F) on a dry and clear morning.
The Met Office issued a yellow warning for ice before 10am in Wales, western parts of England, and Scotland and Northern Ireland on Friday.
Charlie Powell, a Met Office forecaster, said: “For the morning motorists should take your time and drive according to the conditions. But going through the day we will see a bit of a change – with cloud rolling in from the east and by lunchtime rain for Scotland, north-west England, Northern Ireland, Wales and south-west England.”
The UK will warm up on Saturday and Sunday, although a north-south divide will see temperatures hit 14C (57F) in the south-east, Wales and the Midlands while they remain closer to 7C (45F) in the north of England and Scotland.
Powell added: “Temperatures could get up to 10C (50F) in the London area later [on Friday]. During the weekend the UK will be split by a weather front with a north-south divide, although conditions will be similar across Saturday and Sunday. Wales and the Midlands and the south-east should be mild, with temperatures peaking in London at 14C.”
North of the divide temperatures are expected to be between 6C and 7C with a risk of rain and sleet on high ground. The average temperature for February in the south-east is 9C (48F).
