Snow showers look set to bring travel misery as they hit the south of England over the weekend before spreading across the country
This weekend will see temperatures plummet before lows of -10C hit early next week and snow sweeps in from southern England.
The Met Office is predicting highly disruptive snowfall across the country beginning in the South East.
Temperatures have already been low today and are expected to plummet further this weekend
From Monday, it warns to expect delays and cancellations of rail and air travel and that some rural communities could be cut off by road.
Bitter winds will make the already sub-zero temperatures feel even colder as Public Health England warns of the potentially deadly impact of the record-breaking chill.
Brent Walker, Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, said: "There is potential for this cold spell to be the coldest for several years in the south".
Forecasters say the crippling cold could last for several days and into the following week even as Spring begins next Thursday on 1 March.
The last time temperatures plummeted this low was in March 2013 when a staggering -12.9C was recorded.
Today will bring windchill will bring temperatures into sub-zero
Dr Thomas Waite, of Public Health England's Extreme Events team, said: "Remember keeping warm will help keep you well."
The Met Office says wintry flurries will begin in the east today as the weather feels "increasingly cold" with a "marked windchill".
Over the weekend it will become "even colder with widespread overnight frosts and bitter by day with a marked windchill".
Its forecast added snow showers will continue in the east and southeast on Sunday before becoming "more widespread on Monday."
Coral bookmakers cut the odds on next month ending as the coldest March on record to 2-1 in light of the worrying forecasts.
The weekend will continue getting colder as some places brace for temperatures as low as -10C by Monday
The crippling cold could last all of next week and into the following week even as spring arrives
Comment: More on the situation affecting Europe:
The northern hemisphere is experiencing a wild winter; elsewhere the situation is just as unusual:
Albeit at 2,423 m above sea level, this is not far off the coast of the Western Sahara!