Brits are braced for the first snow of winter in the weeks ahead as an arctic blast approaches the UK, the Met Office has said.

Temperatures are set to plummet as early as this week with snowfall expected in large parts of the UK.

Unsurprisingly, the Met Office said the first signs of snow will be seen in the Scottish highlands although other areas further south will be affected too.

The north of England and the Midlands will also see dustings of the white stuff in the weeks ahead and other areas will see unsettled conditions with strong winds and rain.

What different Met Office weather warnings mean

Met Office meteorologist Annie Shuttleworth told The Mirror: “With average temperatures for this time of November, you can get rain falling as snow on the high grounds of Scotland as well as potentially the high ground of England and Northern Ireland. For the end of November, it generally looks like we’ll see high pressure and lots of dry and settled weather.

“That could bring some colder nights. There are no major signals for snow but we can see frost and fog becoming a little more likely into the back end of November.”

She added: "These unsettled conditions are likely to remain through most of the week, however there is a chance of some short lived high pressure to start the week, bringing a low risk of patchy frost by night in the north.

"Rain and strong winds likely over the second weekend, especially in the west. Temperatures possibly slightly above average initially, but returning closer to average later."