Region set to feel the chill as temperatures drop
Temperatures across the Black Country and Staffordshire are set to drop over the next few days as other parts of the country have faced snow and ice.
There have been highs of 4°C (39.2°F) in the towns and cities of the Black Country, as well as in Lichfield in Staffordshire, but temperatures are set to drop to minus across the region.
The Met Office has predicted more widespread overnight frosts for much of the UK in the coming days and a risk of snow for some regions, while daytime temperatures rooted in single figures and overnight temperatures falling well below freezing in many places.
The cold spell, which is due to the UK sitting in cold air from Scandinavia, will see the weather turning much colder for the rest of this week and the start of next with daytime temperatures struggling to get above single figures and overnight temperatures staying below freezing for much of the country.
Wolverhampton, Walsall, Dudley and Sandwell will see a high of 3°C (37.4°F) on Thursday during the day and as low as -3°C (26.6°F) during the night, then 2°C (35.6°F) on Friday and Saturday, while night-time temperatures will hit a low of -4°C (24.8°F) on Friday night.
In Staffordshire, it will be a high of daytime temperatures of 4°C (39.2°F) on Thursday, but will drop to 3°C (37.4°F) on Friday and 2°C (35.6°F) on Saturday, with night-time temperatures hitting a low of -4°C (24.8°F) on Friday night.
Meanwhile temperatures have plunged to a low of -7.2°C (19.04°F) on Friday night. in England as snow fell in Scotland, Northumberland and Yorkshire, but the Met Office has said it is too early to predict a white Christmas.
Swathes of Scotland, England and Ireland were warned to brace themselves for snow and ice, with weather warnings issued amid plummeting temperatures.
The forecaster said the three lowest temperatures recorded at its observation sites overnight were all in Cumbria on Wednesday, with a low of -7.2°C (19.04°F) in Bridgefoot, -6.5°C (20.3°F) in Shap and -6.1°C (21.02°F) in Keswick.
Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said it has recorded snow in eastern Scotland, Northumberland and Yorkshire, with about 2cm of snow in some eastern coast areas and 5cm at Fylingdales on the North York Moors.
On Wednesday the Met Office issued fresh weather warnings for snow and ice in the South West, eastern England and Scotland, and cautioned of icy stretches in parts of Northern Ireland from 5pm on Wednesday until 10am on Thursday.
One yellow warning, covering areas in north-east England, the east Midlands, the east of England, Yorkshire and Humber and parts of Scotland, will be active from 5pm on Thursday until 11am on Friday.
Another, affecting Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset, will be in place from 3am to 4pm on Thursday.
An earlier warning remains in place until 11am on Thursday for eastern Scotland and north-east England down to North Yorkshire, where snow caused closures on the A169.
.Ladbrokes' latest betting odds for snow to fall anywhere in the UK on Christmas Day are 1/2, and it says Edinburgh and Newcastle are the "most likely destinations to see snow".
But the Met Office urged people to take a prediction this far in advance with a "pinch of salt".
Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said: "Christmas is still a month away, so it is impossible with this lead time to have any confidence in a detailed forecast.
"There is often a fine line between who sees snow and who sees rain. Sometimes just a fraction of a degree Celsius change in temperature can make the difference between rain or snow falling, making forecasting snow weeks in advance extremely difficult.
"The definition of a white Christmas most widely used is for a single snowflake to be observed falling in the 24 hours of December 25.
"Therefore, snow falls 'somewhere' in the UK for more Christmas days than not. But widespread snow falling and lying on the ground is rather more infrequent."
