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The British are getting ready snowfall and a sharp drop in temperatures, which are expected to drop to -2C in some places on New Year’s Eve.
The Met Office has issued a number of weather warnings across the country, with almost all regions affected by heavy rain, strong winds or snow between Monday and Wednesday.
Warnings come later heavy fog caused travel chaos after Christmas with dozens of flights delayed or canceled across the UK.
The prognosticator has issued a yellow warning for rain and snow which will be in effect throughout Monday and Tuesday.
A yellow warning originally covered much of Scotland until midnight on Tuesday, which the Met Office said “could lead to significant disruption in the run-up to the New Year”, but was later revised to cover only the Highlands and Moray, with the warning extended until 4 am on Wednesday.
Forecasters are warning of possible blizzards, especially over high ground in Sutherland and Caithness. Snow is expected to fall heavily over the mountains, with 10-20 cm of accumulation above 150-200 meters.
The Met Office added that 20mm of rain was expected, with some places in the North West Highlands possibly seeing 40 to 50mm of rain.
A yellow warning for “persistent snow” which could cause travel disruption was also issued for Orkney and Shetland during Hogmanay.
The Met Office warning covers all islands and is in place from 5am all day on Tuesday.
Up to 20 cm of snow is expected in the worst-hit areas, mainly the mainland and Hoja, while 5 to 10 cm of snow is forecast elsewhere.
The forecaster warned that longer travel times are likely due to difficult driving conditions.
As milder air moves in, the snow will turn back to rain, and any rapid snowmelt will contribute to localized flooding.
The Met Office has warned that the spray and flooding will lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures, with longer journey times by road, bus and train.
Fast-moving or deep, life-threatening flood water is possible.
Delays or cancellations of trains and bus lines are possible due to rain or snow, the forecaster said.
The Met Office said: “Rain is likely to become persistent and at times heavy on Monday and is likely to continue into the New Year.
“This could lead to significant disruption and flooding in the build-up to the New Year events, although there is still much uncertainty as to which areas are likely to be affected.”
A yellow warning for heavy rain has been put in place for parts of north-west England until 9am on New Year’s Day.
The Met Office warning extends from Settle in the Yorkshire Dales through Preston and down to parts of the Peak District.
The warning said heavy rain was “likely to lead to disruption, including flooding in some locations” with a chance that more than 10cm of rain could fall in some places.
The new year will get off to a turbulent start with weather warnings for wind, rain and snow on January 1.
From the New Year, unsettled conditions and potentially disruptive wind, rain and snow could affect more southerly parts of the UK.
Winds of up to 60mph are forecast throughout much of England and Wales on Wednesday, with gusts of 75mph possible around coastal areas and hills, according to the Met Office.
Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said: “Basically, the north-east looks to be the place to be for the next few days if you want to see something brighter and maybe even blue skies at times, while it’s mostly gray elsewhere.”
It will become “a bit windier and a bit wetter” across Scotland over the weekend, with showers in the north of Scotland as a result of low pressure, he said.
Further south on Sunday, it will be “fairly cloudy” with occasional cloud cover due to slightly stronger winds.
Temperatures over the weekend may be “a bit cooler” with highs of around 9C to 11C expected, compared to 11C to 13C earlier this week, although it will still be fairly mild for the time of year, including at night, with some frost.
But Mr Partridge added: “As we head into the new year, particularly New Year’s Eve, it looks like there could be some wet and quite windy weather, particularly across Scotland, which is not ideal as it’s a place that really goes to town for New Year’s Eve.”