UK weather forecast: ‘Severe’ snow up to 1ft deep and torrential rain to batter Brits

There will be 'severe' snowfall and up to one foot landing in some places with torrential rain battering the UK elsewhere.

The Met Office has warned small communities could become cut off as a new weather front moves into Britain, meaning another winter onslaught.

The country is in the midst of its snowiest period for two years, and despite today being seemingly something of a respite period - it's only the calm before the storm.

Tonight homes and businesses are at risk of flooding during heavy downpours before snow once again does its best to grind the country to a halt from Thursday.

A series of snow warnings are in place until Friday (Getty Images)

Snow warnings are in place from 4am on Thursday to 9am Friday morning in North East England, Yorkshire and Humber, and parts of Scotland, including the Grampian Mountains.

Hazardous rain, meanwhile, is expected across Northern Ireland from 6pm today until 9am tomorrow, as well in Staffordshire, Lancashire and Merseyside from midnight until the early hours of Friday.

Met Office forecaster Alex Deakin, described the weather between tonight and Thursday morning as "interesting".

He said: "There's a warm front bringing mild air but the cold air will still be in place as it arrives across northern England and Scotland and where they clash, we could see some snowfall during Thursday morning.

"The heavy rain could cause some issues as well as the ground is already saturated."

He went on to say the "snow will really get going during the early hours of Thursday morning".

Travel disruption is likely in the north (PA)

"There is some uncertainty about how far North it gets and how quickly it arrives and therefore how much it interacts with the colder air," continued Mr Deakin.

But he said there is potential for a substantial amount above 200 metres, adding: "We are looking at 15, possibly 30 centimetres of snow on some of the higher routes across northern England and also into southern and perhaps later on into central Scotland."

A total of 12 flood warnings and 47 alerts have been issued across the UK today by the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and Scottish Environment Protection Agency.