BRITS are braced for snow today as the 'Troll from Trondheim' looms, with -10C arctic winds seeing schools prepare to close.
The white stuff is predicted to hit the UK with the cold snap due to a freezing storm known as the 'Troll of Trondheim' sweeping in from Norway.
And it means snow could even hit parts of the country today with Scotland suffering the brunt of the artic conditions.
The Met Office said that showers would affect northern and eastern coastal counties and become "increasingly wintry across northern Scotland" with snow beginning to accumulate on hills.
Councils say they are prepared to shut schools on Wednesday if predicted whiteout condition prove to be disruptive for pupils.
In the Highland Council area, individual head teachers have the power to order closures, due to the wide disparity of conditions which could be experienced across the region.
Tonight's weather is also expected to bring freezing conditions with more snow expected across the north of Scotland.
A yellow severe warning is in place from midnight on Tuesday – lasting fully 24 hours – for the northern half of the country.
Bitterly cold air from the Arctic will produce wintry conditions on the roads – with weathermen warning of blizzards on higher ground for much of the day.
Some roads and railways are likely to be affected by up to 5cm (two inches) quite generally with up to 10cm (four inches) on land above 200 metres.
Areas affected include Angus, Perth and Kinross, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray and Highland regions.
Elsewhere today the forecaster predicted Brits to enjoy sunny spells but warned that the weather would be very chilly.
It comes as the weather service issued an urgent level 3 cold weather warning with temperatures set to plunge as low as -10C in some parts of the nation.
An amber alert warns of wintry weather between 6pm tomorrow and 9am on Monday December 12, with social and healthcare services told to take action to protect high-risk groups.
The forecasters said that air from the Arctic will spread south across the nation, with very cold and frosty nights expected from the middle of the week.
Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Rebekah Sherwin, said: “Temperatures will start to dip this week, with daytime temperatures struggling to get above freezing in many places from mid-week onwards.
"However, the cold air from the Arctic will also bring brighter conditions, with some dry, sunny spells in many areas, particularly away from the coast.
“Showers will turn more wintry as the week goes on with a risk of snow at times. A yellow National Severe Weather Warning for snow has been issued for Wednesday covering northern Scotland.
"We can expect to see some snow and wintry showers further south as the week progresses, particularly in coastal areas or over higher ground.
"There will be widespread frosts with temperatures falling to as low as -10°C overnight in isolated spots by the end of the week.”
The Met Office also warned that the weather could "disrupt the delivery of services".
Wintry showers are likely in coastal areas and very cold nights are expected, with heavy frosts likely.
Daytime temperatures persisting near or just above freezing, with overnight temperatures continuing to trend downwards, said the forecasters.
Snow is even forecast in the coming weeks, sparking hopes of a White Christmas.
The Met's long range forecast for December 19 to January 2 said that a "transition between the cold and mild conditions" in this period brings the "risk of rain, with sleet and snow".
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