West Midlands weather: Black Country set to shiver as Staffordshire warned of snow

The first snow of the season fell in northern parts of the country yesterday, as cold air from the Arctic sent temperatures dwindling to single digits over the weekend.

And today the Met Office warned that white powder could appear in parts of the Midlands over the coming days.

The government weather agency issued a yellow severe weather warning for snow, valid from 12pm on Tuesday until 9am on Wednesday, covering much of Scotland, northern England and Staffordshire.

However, people in Birmingham, Wolverhampton and the Black Country are more likely to wake up to frost and frozen cars than snow, as temperatures drop to around -1C.

And heaters will need to stay on throughout the week, with the mercury unlikely to top 4C on Tuesday or rise above 10C from Wednesday to Friday, when fog seen earlier in the week will be replaced by rain and wind.

Higher northern parts of Staffordshire could see the ground turn white on Tuesday, but the Met office said there was a 'good deal of uncertainty' about where and when any snow will land.

In hilly parts of northern England and Scotland between 4cm and 15cm of snow is expected to fall on Tuesday night, while drivers around the country have been warned to prepare for difficult driving conditions.

The yellow Met Office warning for the West Midlands is a 'be aware' alert, meaning people living in the area should monitor the weather situation and be prepared to cope with severe conditions.

The latest information can be found on the Met Office website here.