A yellow warning of snow has been issued for the South West, starting at midnight tonight.
The snow will reach the South West as the amber warning of rain finishes for the region. The warning is issued until midnight on Firday.
An area of rain and sleet moving from the south later on Thursday and during Friday will turn increasingly to snow as it does so.
Some heavy and persistent snowfall is likely to develop across many areas, with 5-10 cm of snow in some parts, and locally more than 15 cm over high ground.
Taking into account the strong winds, some atrocious conditions with drifting and blizzards are expected for many upland areas in particular. The public should be aware of the potential for significant disruption, particularly to transport and to power supplies.
This is a further update of the warning first issued on Tuesday, nudging the southern boundary south to include a little more of Wales, the Cotswold and north Chiltern areas. Amber warnings are also being issued to reflect the increased risk of disruption in parts of Northern Ireland, the Midlands, North Wales and northern England on Friday.
A chief forecaster for the Exeter based Met office said:
"An active frontal system will push northwards during Thursday, increasingly coming into contact with the block of unusually cold air in place across central and northern Britain, the North Sea and Scandinavia. The front will then become slow-moving during Friday, potentially affecting a broad swathe of central Britain for some 24 to 36 hours.
"During this period, a combination of strong winds and persistent snow looks like leading to some particularly wintry weather - especially for so late in the season. There remain some uncertainties at this stage in exactly where the worst of the snow will be, and in some low-lying areas the rain-snow balance is not yet clear-cut, which means that further refinements to the warning area are likely. "RelatedPictures and Video: River Exe at flood alertUpdates: Flooding in Exeter and East Devon
