Hail, rain and snow hit UK as wintry conditions sweep across the country

Hail, rain and snow have struck parts of the UK as a northerly wind brought wintry conditions.

Temperatures dropped to single figures on Tuesday, with more snow expected to hit high ground overnight.

The Met Office warned that the northern half of the country, particularly around the Welsh mountains, the Pennines and Scottish mountains, may be dusted in snow by Wednesday morning.

Meteorologists estimate between five and 10cm could fall in areas above 400 metres, and as much as 20cm could drop over the tops of the Grampian Mountains.

Videos of falling hail and snow were shared by some Twitter users on Tuesday as the chilly weather covered the UK.

In Carrickmore, County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, snow could be seen settling on fields and alongside roads.

Met Office meteorologist Helen Roberts said the country could expect a continuation of sunshine combined with heavy, blustery showers on Wednesday, with snow causing some "localised problems" in the North.

"Probably more of a risk than the snow, or more of a hazard, is going to be ice because temperatures will drop very quickly in clear slots," she warned.

Ice could be widespread across the country as temperatures drop even lower to 8 or 9C by Wednesday.

Ms Roberts said a low pressure system was dominating and prolonging the wintry conditions.

She added: "Its quite a deep low and it's not moving anywhere very quickly, it's just swirling around these showers across the country."

However, the weather is expected to gradually move towards drier spells later in the week, with temperatures drifting upwards.

Thursday will still see some showers, but eastern areas may escape the rain.