WEATHER: Freezing temperatures hit Portsmouth with snow on the horizon

Forecasters are predicting lows of minus three degrees, with the mercury not rising much about two degrees across Portsmouth today.

It is the first of four freezing days which have sparked severe weather warnings for snow by the Met Office.

Snow is expected to start falling across the south east later today – although latest forecasts show it is unlikely to reach the Portsmouth area until Tuesday, with heavier snowfall being predicted for Thursday.

Met Office meteorologist Charlie Powell said: ‘We don’t want to scare people, but people should make sure they are prepared for some seriously cold weather.

‘By Thursday evening, there are growing signs there could be some significant snowfall across southern England.

‘Unusually for Britain, the snow is going to be quite dry, so it will blow around and gather in drifts and we could see some blizzard conditions.

‘Winds are then going to strengthen and we could see some easterly gales through the eastern Channel and East Anglia by the middle of the week.

‘That’s going to make it feel really cold, daytime temperatures on Wednesday and Thursday will be struggling to get above freezing for most of the country.’

A yellow weather alert is in place for Hampshire until Thursday.

In parts of East and West Sussex the warning has been raised to amber, just one below the worst rating of red.

The Met Office warned there could be severe disruptions on the roads and public services, as well as power cuts and a loss of mobile phone signal for some rural parts.