The Met Office has issued a yellow weather alert as heavy snow and blizzards are set to batter parts of Britain over the weekend.
The warning has been issued for Scotland and northern England between Saturday lunchtime and Sunday morning, with a risk of freezing rain in places.
They have warned that some rural communities may be cut off and that travel may be disrupted.
Temperatures are set to plummet as low as 2C on Friday.
A Met Office spokesman said: “There is a risk of snow developing with strong south-easterly winds affecting northern UK on Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning.
“The snow could be heavy at times, especially over hills where blizzards may develop, and is likely to drift in strong winds.
“Across northern England and southern Scotland, snow may turn to freezing rain above 200-300 metres leading to widespread ice developing on Saturday night.
“Two to five cm of snow is likely at lower levels, whilst higher ground could see 10-20 cm."
A low pressure weather system is developing in the Atlantic and is expected to clash with cold air across Britain.
Forecaster Simon Partridge said hilly parts of Scotland could see “10 to 20cm” worth of snow, while parts of the North East are expected to be hit as well.
He said: “Over the next few days, most parts of the UK will be fairly dry, but will turn increasingly cold as we approach the weekend.”
Mr Partridge said the capital should be “dry and cold for most of the day”, but will see sunny spells.
