Britons are bracing for brutal winds and "significant snow" as forecasters warn that the "Troll from Trondheim" is set to wreak havoc across the UK.
Weather warnings for rain, snow, ice and wind remain in force today and tomorrow with weather maps suggesting a "cold and severe" to the new year.
Warnings across Scotland are in place and are expected to last all through the day.
Meanwhile, there are yellow warnings for rain for the majority of Wales and Northern Ireland. A yellow warning for wind is in place through all of Saturday across the majority of the English south coast and in East Anglia.
Weather warnings for rain, snow, ice and wind remain in force today and tomorrow with weather maps suggesting a 'cold and severe' to the new year
WXCHARTS
Senior Meteorologist and Social Commentator, Jim Dale named the bitter easterly blast from Trondheim - a city in central Norway - last year.
The "Troll from Trondheim", which is positioned north of the UK, makes it part of the shaping of the UK's colder weather systems.
"We're more likely to get a northern Troll. I expect Scotland to be fairly loaded, some chaos for parts of the North and at the moment, a dusting of less for the South," Dale told the Express.
"Caveat, we haven't yet seen the whites of the Troll’s eyes.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
"It’s definitely going colder but the extent of it and the snow is still ‘misty’. I think we are going to have to be patient. Still, various indicators continue to point to a polar spell as January unravels."
According to the Met Office, windy conditions will continue across the UK on Saturday.
Meteorologist Alex Burkill said northern areas of Scotland are likely to see “significant snow”.
In a forecast video, the forecaster said: "Towards the far east of Scotland, particularly Shetland, it is going to be a windy picture with frequent showers.
According to the Met Office, windy conditions will continue across the UK on Saturday
Net Weather
"As that rain hits the cold air across Scotland, I am expecting some significant snow, particularly over higher ground we could see in excess of 10cm of snow lying and, even to lower levels, some slushy snow is possible.
"This could cause some problems particularly on the roads.
"Elsewhere it is the rain and the strong winds we need to watch out for. Heavy rain across parts of Wales and strong gales likely around southern, south-western coastal parts in particular – so a pretty unsettled day.
"In the south it is going to be relatively mild with highs of around 11C or 12C but with the wind, the rain and the cloud it will be feeling feel pretty unpleasant at times and colder further north, with temperatures here suppressed into mid-single figures."
