The Met Office has issued a fresh wave of brutal weather warnings as vast swathes of the UK will be hit by snow and ice in hours.

The national forecaster has issued a yellow alert covering 16 regions of Britain, stretching from Orkney and Shetland all the way down to the South East of England.

The warnings are in place for a total of 24 hours across different parts of the country, starting at midday today and lasting until 12pm on Friday.

Not all areas are impacted for the entire 24 hours, but the likes of the Scottish Highlands will be worst hit by the onslaught of wintry weather.

Experts at the Met Office have said there is a “small chance” of power cuts, while mobile phone coverage could be affected. Some rural communities could even be “cut off” due to the harsh conditions, while Brits are being warned of slippy surfaces which could lead to injury.

It added: “There is a small chance of travel delays on roads with some stranded vehicles and passengers, along with delayed or cancelled rail and air travel”

It comes as separate weather maps by forecasters WX Charts show the mercury plummeting as low as -5C tomorrow, while up to 19cm of snow could fall today in northern areas of Britain.

The Met Office warning continues: “Snow showers will affect many northern and western areas of Scotland through Thursday afternoon and overnight into Friday. The showers will be frequent at times and may also be accompanied by hail.

“Snow accumulations are likely to reach 2 to 5 cm fairly widely with up to 10 cm in some areas, especially northern parts of the mainland.

“Over high ground, above about 300 metres, 15 to 20 cm could accumulate in this time period. Ice will will be an additional hazard, forming readily on untreated surfaces (particularly after dark), including windward coasts and the Northern Isles where showers will be sleety at times leaving surfaces wet.”