Autumn just turned white: First snow in England falls in Northumberland as temperatures dip to a very chilly -2C

The first snow fell in England today as temperatures plummeted towards freezing making it a bitter start to the weekend.
Parts of England will be as cold as Moscow as temperatures plunge to -2C in the first cold snap of the season.
Autumn leaves were painted white with snowflakes in Northumberland, while the chill of winter hit large swathes of the country as the nights are set to go darker from Sunday when the clocks turn back.

As temperatures plummet towards freezing, the first snow fell in Northumberland today

It's snowing! Walkers wrap up warm and enjoy the bitterly cold weather this morning

Charlie Powell, a spokesman for the Met Office said: 'Some parts of the country are as cold as Moscow today. Those in Northumberland are experiencing temperatures between 3 and 4C.
'Overnight temperatures could drop to as low as -2 with a frosty start to the day tomorrow for many.
'In the north east there could be 2cm of snow today and parts of northern Scotland could see up to 5cm of snow throughout the next 24 hours.
'Parts of Lincolnshire and East Anglia could see sleet and hail showers today but I don't think we will see anything settling.

 

'We are experiencing a two day cold snap today and tomorrow. On Monday it will be back to wet and windy and temperatures where they should be, as high as 4 and 6C.'
Temperatures dipped just below zero in Northumberland this morning and snowflakes left a dusting on fields and pavements.
The mercury is not expected to rise much above zero overnight in many areas with large parts of the country experiencing below freezing.

Autumn leaves are painted white by snow fall in a forest in Northumberland today

There were wintry showers in Scotland overnight and forecasters predicted more over the next day or so north of the border and down the east coast.
Tony Conlan, a forecaster with MeteoGroup UK, the weather division of the Press Association, said some areas of lower ground in Scotland saw their first meaningful snow, and a 'wintry mix' of rain, sleet, hail and some snow will continue until late on Saturday.
'It will be colder today than it has been, with temperatures typically ranging from 2C (36F) in parts of the Scottish highlands to 10 or 11C (50-52F) in the far west of England' he said.

'Late on Saturday night there should be milder air coming in from the north west making it warmer on Sunday, but still not very pleasant, with rain just about everywhere.'
The Local Government Association (LGA) said that hundreds of gritters are on standby to treat roads as required.
An LGA survey of councils across England and Wales found there is currently about 1.3 million tonnes of salt in council depots - enough to fill more than 400 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
This is about twice as much as was used during last winter.

Gritters prepare for the wintry weather on the A9 in Scotland

Chill: Resident Craig Robertson walks through the snow in Lumsden, Aberdeenshire

A spokesman said: 'Councils have invested in new fleets of GPS-tracked gritting trucks, mini-gritters and specialist vehicles for narrow and hilly streets.
'Thousands of grit bins have been placed in estates and side streets, residents have been given their own bags of salt along with salt spreaders in some neighbourhoods, and arrangements have been made with parish councils, farmers and community groups to grit hard-to-reach areas.'
Couple Helen and Jamie Sims stopped near to Kielder Forest in Northumberland so they could enjoy the pretty scenes as they drove from their home in Edinburgh to London.

Picturesque: A rose covered in snow in Scotland as temperatures drop

Helen said: 'We’re originally from New Zealand so we haven’t seen much snow before. We weren’t expecting it so we stopped the car to enjoy the view.'
Janet Julian and her sister Margaret Brennan also stopped on their drive from South Yorkshire as they made their way to a holiday cottage in Fife.
Janet said: 'We drive this route because it’s scenic, the snow is like an added bonus.'

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