UK snow warning: Temperatures PLUNGE ahead of 70mph winds with parts of Britain already BLANKETED in snow

The deep area of low pressure is set to trigger strong gales across southern England.

A yellow weather warning for wind remains in place until 6pm this evening along the south coast.

Forecasters say Storm Nelson will track northeast across western areas of Britain before moving northwards throughout the day.

Gusts of 50mph will batter the UK widely with gusts of 60 to 70mph along exposed southern coasts.

Heavy snowfall hit south west England last night as people in Plymouth, Bristol and Swansea woke up to a cold, wintry morning.

Yesterday the Met Office warned that in Wales, rain "could turn into snow overnight" causing potential travel disruption this morning.

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More showers are expected to blow north and northwest, with some heavy rain, hail and thunder set to hit some areas.

The latest weather maps show temperatures hovering around single figures between 8C and 12C.

Good Friday is set to see scattered showers with hail and thunder in places.

Conditions will remain windy but gusts will reduce during the day.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Neil Armstrong said: "A deep area of low pressure will see increasing wind speeds along the south coast of England on Thursday.

"Gusts of 50mph are likely quite widely, with 60-70mph possible in exposed coastal areas.

"These winds will be accompanied by some heavy showers at times, with the possibility of hail and thunder in some locations, which will worsen travel conditions."