Frost and frozen windscreens were a familiar sight up and down the UK as the country woke to the coldest morning of the season.

On Monday (October 30), temperatures fell to -5C during the first big autumn freeze, and it's so cold forecasters are saying parts of the north could have snow on the hills within days.

The Met Office said the temperature plunged to -5C at Tulloch Bridge in the Highland region of Scotland and was as cold as -3C near the UK's southern coast.

Temperatures elsewhere varied between 6C in parts of London and -2C in Northern Ireland and northern England, according to the Mirror .

Britain could face its coldest winter since the bitter 2012-13 freeze thanks to Arctic winds later this year.

December and January are both forecast to be colder than normal, with all areas of the UK, including the south, affected.

Five years ago temperatures plunged as low as -14C in the same two months.

A warning triangle alerts drivers to an icy road

Snow and ice caused mayhem on roads and railways, and even deaths due to cold weather soared to around 300-a-day .

Since then, the UK has experienced a series of mild winters but that seems certain to change.

Todd Crawford, chief meteorologist at The Weather Company, said: "We expect the coldest winter in the UK since 2012-13.

"We expect extended spells with a ridge of pressure in the North Atlantic, especially in early winter.

"This forces the jet stream up to the Arctic and back down into Europe, releasing Arctic high pressure from near the Pole directly into northern Europe, with colder-than-normal temperatures."

What's the weather forecast for the week?

Tuesday (October 31) will be a milder day than Monday, with a mixture of sunny spells and variable cloud amounts. However, most places are expected to remain dry with highs of 13C.

Looking ahead there will be the odd fog patch at first on Wednesday (November 1), then dry with further sunny spells

It will be cloudier, but mostly dry on Thursday (November 2) and Friday (November 3), although some rain is possible, mainly later on Friday.

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