A SNOW warning today follows hot on the heels of forecasts that the worst of the UK's predicted snowfall this week would miss Wiltshire and Swindon.

The Met Office today issued a yellow 'be aware' warning for snow valid from 10am on Thursday until 9pm.

Yesterday the Met Office was only expecting snow showers to the north of Scotland, Northern Ireland, the North York Moors and possibly Norfolk by the end of the week.

An Arctic cold spell blowing in from the north looks set to cause temperatures to tumble and forecasters said today: "Rain moving eastwards across the south of the UK on Thursday may turn to snow in places.

Wiltshire Times:

"Whilst this is unlikely, there is a small chance of snow settling with disruption to road, rail and air services as well as interruptions to power supplies and other utilities.

"Associated heavy rain and strong winds may prove additional hazards.

"If the area of heavy rain moves further north, this would pull cold air into the system and bring snow to parts of southern England and south Wales.

"At the same time heavy rain will likely persist in some areas along with the potential for some locally strong winds."

Local authority areas affected by the warning include Wiltshire, Swindon, Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, Devon, Dorset, Gloucestershire, North Somerset, Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

The Met Office says showers are expected to bring 2cm to 5cm of snow at lower levels to Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of the North West from Wednesday, with 10cm to 20cm on ground above 200 metres.

This warning has been extended to include Wales and eastern England by Thursday and into Friday.

With the cold air originating over Arctic Canada, Met Office meteorologist Emma Sharples said: "We could get some blizzard-type conditions, especially at height."

Talking about "thundersnow", where the rain associated with a thunderstorm falls as snow, she said: "It is possible, all that really needs is for thunder to happen at the same time as the snow.

"So where you get very active or vigorous showers - which is what we are going to see... then we could well get some thunder as well. It is definitely possible."

Ms Sharples said snow at lower levels will come in the form of showers and is unlikely to build up too much, unless there is "shower after shower coming over the same location".

But she warned: "Even a centimetre of snow in this country can obviously cause some disruption," adding that there could be "some showers inland, but they are likely to be short-lived".

Rod Dennis, of the RAC, said drivers should be prepared for "tricky driving conditions and significantly extended journey times".

"Even a small amount of snowfall has the potential to cause major disruption for motorists," he said.

"The fact that drivers in some parts of the country will be faced with strong winds, snow showers and icy stretches increases the chances of problems on the road enormously."

He urged drivers to plan their trips carefully and "consider rearranging any non-essential journeys in the parts of the country most likely to be affected by the bad weather", as well as checking tyre tread and pressure, windscreen wipers and screen wash levels.

"When out on snowy roads, always have dipped headlights on and proceed carefully and cautiously," he said.

"Drive with a very light right foot, and keep your revs down by changing to as high a gear as possible.

"Try to avoid braking and turning at the same time. When approaching a bend in the road, reduce your speed first and then begin to turn. Above all, avoid the temptation to brake sharply as that will make you lose control."