Britain is set to be battered by an Arctic blast leaving eight inches of snow.
Life-threatening conditions and travel chaos are expected as temperatures plunge to -8C across parts of the North, Wales and Scotland.
The Met Office is predicting heavy snow in the Pennines today (December 4), with the Lake District, Peak District, Snowdonia and higher ground in Scotland also affected.
Forecasters say it could be the beginning of a severe winter chill, with 12 days of snow possible in the run-up to Christmas.
The bitterly cold spell is also expected to last into the new year.
Even areas that avoid freezing temperatures could be hit by rain and sleet as two separate storms bear down on the country this week.
Flood alerts have already been issued for parts of England and heavy downpours are expected to batter the south-east, north-west, Midlands and East Anglia.
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