Drivers have been warned of dense fog that will make the roads hazardous as mild temperatures continue before an Arctic blast descends over Christmas.
While the weather has been cloudy and wet, temperatures have remained mild this week on the back of snow and gales brought by Storms Arwen and Barra.
Brits can now expect more unusually warm conditions over the coming days but the Met Office has given a warning for fog for drivers.
“If you are travelling over the next few days it is worth noting that you could run into some fog which could be stubborn and dense, so causing poor visibility on the roads,” said Met Office forecaster Clare Nasir.
“The air is dank, lots of cloud trapped under this area of high pressure which extends across the country through Thursday. Across the far north you can see that weather front bringing clouds and patchy drizzle.”
There is expected to be frost for Scotland and eastern counties of England on Thursday morning but it will be milder in other parts of the country.
“Generally the temperatures are expected to hold up especially to the south and west where there is a lot of cloud,” the forecaster said.
“We run into thicker cloud across England and Wales. Favoured places for thick fog are eastern counties of England where it will be stubborn and slow to clear during the morning and into the afternoon. So a lot of murk lurking across the country.”
Clare Nadir added: “Overall the weather remains fairly settled, very quiet and calm going into Saturday and Sunday.”
Temperatures could be in double figures before they start to drop over the weekend and then plunge next week in the run up to Christmas.
BBC ’s Stav Danaos said that cooler temperatures are expected to drift from the North East on Sunday.
"From Monday we will start to tap into some of that colder air drifting southwards across the North Sea and many of us will be into single figures on Monday and it will feel quite cool,” he said.
“For the run up to Christmas we will continue to see some of this cold air pushing in across the UK.”
Maps from WXCharts turn icy blue over Christmas as the cold air comes down from the Arctic and temperatures are hovering around zero for much of the country.
UK forecast for the next 5 days
Today:
Patchy fog in eastern areas of England may be slow to clear but with a little sunshine eventually. Many other areas cloudy and mostly dry but some rain in the far north. Still mild for most, breezy in north.
Tonight:
Clear spells likely in places, especially northeast England and Scotland, with some patches of frost and fog likely to form. Many southern areas remaining cloudy and fairly mild.
Friday:
Fog patches in the north may be slow to clear, this most likely northeast England. Some sunshine for Scotland. Mostly cloudy skies further south, and a little less mild.
Outlook for Saturday to Monday:
Dry, mostly cloudy period, the exception being parts of Scotland which are likely to see more in the way of sunny spells. Winds largely light and variable. Becoming rather cold.
