As many of you will have read, Scotland has recently been hit by snow and the cold snap is heading our way.

Arctic winds will be bringing a big drop in temperature.

March was the warmest month in Wales since 1957 with beach and picnic weather last week and highs of 22 Celsius but tomorrow, temperatures will struggle to reach 4 Celsius in places.

Wales is facing a wintry mix of rain and snow over the next 24 hours and strong to gale force north-easterly winds will make it feel bitterly cold with a significant wind-chill.

The Met Office has issued a weather warning but not everywhere will have snow and most will fall on higher ground, over the hills and mountains above 600 feet. Typically 2-5cm is expected but 10-15cm is possible above 1000 feet.

This could cause a few problems on the higher routes with blizzards on the mountains. The hills of Powys, the Brecon Beacons and Black mountains could get a fair covering of snow tomorrow but at lower levels and on the coast, rain or sleet is more likely.

Snow is not unusual in April. In fact it's more common to have a white Easter than a white Christmas but the cold snap will come as a shock to the system given how unusually warm March was.

Some plants, trees, animals and wildlife are likely to suffer but thankfully the cold snap will be short-lived.

Tomorrow night the rain and snow will turn lighter and slowly clear with some frost and icy patches developing. Thursday will be a much better day - drier and brighter with sunny spells with lighter winds so it will feel less cold.

At the moment, Easter weekend looks milder and changeable. Some rain and a few showers but we could see some dry weather and sunshine too. In other words, a typical bank holiday weekend in Britain!

Let me know if you've had snow where you live, in the comments box below.

The gritters in Wales are gearing up for a busy time. There's no snow at the moment but some is expected by morning and we're in for a wintry mix of weather over the next 24 hours with rain, snow and some freezing rain too.

Freezing rain is where rain falls onto frozen ground, turning roads and pavements into ice rinks. It's quite rare in this country but can be lethal so take car driving.

As far as snow is concerned, the Met Office has issued a yellow warning which means be aware.

Based on the latest information, it looks like the south and east of Wales and Powys are most at risk from some snow later tonight and tomorrow.

Mind you there is a lot of uncertainty as to how exactly how much we'll get and the areas that will be worst affected. Things could change and not everywhere will have snow.

So, tonight a damp if not wet night and in the south and east, Powys and the Marches the rain will turn to snow. Lowest temperatures close to freezing or above so not as cold as recent nights but given that the ground is very cold, there is a risk of ice.

Tomorrow morning will be a real mix with rain in Pembrokeshire and on the coast. Further east and inland some snow is likely with a few cm's possible but there could be more in parts of Monmouthshire and Torfaen.

The north east may escape the worst of the snow and in the north west rain is likely with snow on the mountains. During the day, the snow will ease and parts of the north, Powys and the south east may become dry in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, the west and south west will stay damp with rain. Another cold day with a south to south-easterly breeze and less cold in the west and on the coast.

Tomorrow night there'll be some rain in Pembrokeshire but elsewhere will be becoming dry. Temperatures falling close to freezing or below with some frost and icy patches.

Saturday should be dry and cold with bright, crisp sunny weather in the south and east.

Sunday generally cloudy but hopefully dry in Cardiff for the rugby and less cold with temperatures up to 7 Celsius.

In the meantime, expect some rain, snow and ice over the next 24 hours.

Don't forget you can keep up to date with the latest traffic and travel news on Radio Wales, Radio Cymru and online.

Wales escaped the worst of the snow on Saturday. There was some snow although not everywhere, leaving some people disappointed.

Most of the snow that did fall has now melted after a spell of rain and a rise in temperature.

Temperatures this afternoon across Wales are in the range 4 to 8 Celsius which is about right for this time of year.

However, over the next few days it is going to turn colder again with south-easterly winds from Europe bringing some sunshine and frost.

Wednesday night will probably be the coldest night of the week with temperatures inland possibly falling as low as minus 7 Celsius in central and eastern parts of Wales.

You might like to know that January 2012 was the warmest in Wales since 2008 despite a cold end to the month.

There was 18% more sunshine than usual and it was drier than normal too with around 127mm of rain (average rainfall in January is 158.6mm).

It will be interesting to see what the rest of February turns out like but the next few days are looking largely dry thanks to high pressure over Scandinavia.

Derek is off today so Sue Charles has kindly picked up the weather mantle.

We've just had the coldest night of year so far especially in Powys where temperatures fell to -11 Celsius near Llanwrtyd Wells and -9 In Newbridge on Wye!

But there's a big change this weekend as a battle takes place between cold arctic air to the east and mild Atlantic air to the west.

This is called a dividing line, a battlefront between two air masses.

But today is the last of the cold, bright days with plenty of sunshine and patchy cloud developing in the west but temperatures struggling to get much above freezing.

Tonight we'll start to see some changes as it turns cold and frosty again in the east with cloud beginning to push in from the west.

It will be a very cold night again tonight with temperatures well below freezing in mid Wales.

As the cloud brings in milder air from the Atlantic a front pushes in from the west which will probably bring rain with it from Anglesey all the way down to Pembrokeshire which could turn to snow as it pushes east wards.

2-5 cm of snow is possible in the hills nearer the border but any snow should turn to rain again later in the day.

However if the cold air stays in place for longer as the front stalls, there will be a greater risk of snow. Timing is variable here, so a snow warning is in place but heavy snow is looking less likely.

The rain continues through Saturday night and there will be a risk of ice into Sunday. It should however be drier with some bright spells and less cold, with top temperatures between 5 and 8 Celsius.

By the evening it will be turning cloudier with rain in the west.

It's looking milder in Dublin for Wales 6 nations opener but turning increasingly damp through the day.

So all in all a very changeable weekend - starting cold then turning milder with a cloudy and dull day for Monday.

Check the Met Office website for details of weather warnings currently in place for Wales.

Enjoy the rugby on Sunday as Wales take on Ireland in Dublin and travel safely on the roads if you're heading down to catch the ferry.

You can catch all the action from 2.30 pm on BBC One Wales and also listen to the match on Radio Wales.

Have a great weekend.

Some parts of Wales have already had a dusting of snow but it looks like we could be in for the first proper snow of the winter later tonight and tomorrow morning!

Mind you, it's not going to snow everywhere, it will depend very much on where you live and how high you are above sea level. Some places will just have rain.

Based on the latest information from the Met Office, the higher ground of South and Mid Wales could be worst hit by snow but of course things could change with further updates later today.

There is still some uncertainty on the path of a deepening area of low pressure moving in from the Atlantic.

A change in direction of just 50 to 100 miles north or south can make all the difference as to which part of Britain will get heavy rain, snow or severe gales.

This evening rain in Pembrokeshire will spread across the rest of Wales and it will turn increasingly to sleet and snow after midnight. On the coast it will probably stay as rain or sleet but snow inland.

The Met Office has issued a yellow and amber snow warning for parts of Wales. Amber means be prepared for some disruption.

Forecast chart for 6am on Friday, 16 December, 2011.

Parts of Mid Wales, the South Wales Valleys and Monmouthshire could have 2 to 5 cm of snow, 1 to 2 inches.

However over 10cm (4 inches) is possible on higher ground e.g. the Heads of the Valleys, the Black Mountains, Brecon Beacons and the hills of Powys.

The snow will be the wet, sticky kind and consist of big flakes. It will settle, especially but not exclusively on higher ground.

Cardiff and Swansea may get away with little if any snow but I wouldn't rule out a light covering on some cars and the grass.

Tomorrow the rain and snow will move away but in the north showers will move in from the Irish Sea, some of these heavy falling as rain, hail, sleet and snow with thunder possible too.

We've had just about everything thrown at us today - heavy rain, sleet, thunder, snow and hail the size of large peas.

Mark Hillman sent in this picture via twitter. The road in Ystradfellte covered in hailstones making driving conditions treacherous and it's been a similar story in other parts of the country too.

We've also had plenty of rain and some flooding with over 11 flood alerts in force at the time of writing and a flood warning on the River Dee from Llangollen to Chester.

There have been strong to severe gale force winds as well. At Mumbles Head, in Swansea a gust of 81mph was recorded this afternoon with gusts of 67mph at Aberdaron on the Lleyn Peninsula.

The reason for the disturbed weather is low pressure. The air over us has come from Greenland so its unstable producing towering clouds and heavy showers.

It's time to batten down the hatches

If you thought today was windy, just wait until tomorrow! An Atlantic storm is heading our way bringing heavy rain and strong to severe gale force winds.

Scotland and Northern Ireland will be worst hit but the Met Office has issued a wind warning covering North Wales as well. Wind gusts 50 to 70 mph are expected with some travel disruption likely.

And it will be dangerously windy on the mountains with stronger gusts, around 90 mph or more.

The storm will bring milder air with temperatures rising as high as 12 Celsius but temperatures will drop once the rain clears during the afternoon and Friday will be a cold, breezy day.

There will be some sunshine but a few wintry showers as well and most of these will be in the north.

There is currently a Met Office snow warning in force for northern counties. Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy, Denbighshire, Wrexham and Flintshire.

The snow will be in the form of showers and will be a bit hit and miss so widespread disruption is not expected.

Most of the snow will fall on higher ground where it will settle and could cause minor problems locally, however on Friday night into Saturday, ice could be the main hazard on untreated roads.

The weekend will start frosty on Saturday but apart from the odd shower it should be dry with some sunshine.

Sunday will turn less cold but windier with some rain clearing to showers later.

So, you can expect all kinds of winter weather over the next few days but take extra care if you are travelling.

Derek

Figures from the Met Office suggest Autumn 2011 was the joint warmest on record in Wales (shared with 2006).

The mean temperature for September, October and November was 11.6 Celsius, two degrees above the average.

Sunshine was on target and it was drier than normal with 338 mm of rain, 22% below the average.

There is no risk of a drought in Wales with most reservoirs full but some people, especially on the border with England, will be hoping for plenty of rain over the winter to top up ground water levels.

November was the warmest in Wales since 1994 but it has now turned colder with the first dusting of snow on some hills and mountains.

There is no sign of a big freeze like we had last December. In fact on Thursday it will turn milder with rain and strong to gale force winds.

However, a cold front will sweep across Britain on Thursday evening followed by much colder air from the Arctic.

Wintry showers are likely on Thursday night into Friday and the Met Office has issued an alert of snow for north Wales.

At the moment, Saturday should start fine with some frost and icy patches but there is more wind and rain on the way followed on Sunday by sunshine and showers.

So, all sorts of wintry weather heading our way this week!

Don't forget you can keep up to date with the forecast on Radio Wales, Radio Cymru and online at bbc.co.uk/weather

Stay warm

It's feeling chilly today with fresh to strong winds and heavy showers and cold enough for snow on the mountains.

At the time of writing, the temperature in Llanberis is 8 deg;C Celsius but at Clogwyn station, a mile below the summit of Snowdon, on the Snowdon Mountain Railway the temperature is below freezing with a severe wind-chill.

As a rule of thumb, the higher you go the colder, wetter and windier it gets and when air is forced to rise, it always cools.

Well, I'm on snow patrol today along with my colleague Sue Charles.

We're currently watching a deep area of low pressure out over the Atlantic. This will move towards Britain tomorrow pushing a front northwards bringing a mixture of rain, sleet and snow.
Met Office Weather warning.

So another dose of wintry weather but no where near as bad as before Christmas - just a temporary thing.

Most of Wales can expect a brief spell of snow tomorrow for a time but not everywhere and probably very little will fall in Cardiff, Newport and Swansea.

Well first of all, a very Happy New Year to you all!

Most of us ended up with a white Christmas, although no fresh snow fell in Wales on 25 December.

We haven't got all the figures in yet but it looks like last month was the coldest in Wales for at least 100 years and for central England, the coldest December since 1890 with a mean temperature of -0.7 Celsius!

The central England temperature records (CET) date back to 1659.

This may come as a surprise to some of you, but despite all the snow - it was much drier and sunnier than normal. In fact rainfall in Wales was less than a third of the monthly average.

Over the next few days temperatures are going to be up and down like a yo-yo. Some of us are in for a soaking too and not just rain. There is more sleet and snow on the way, especially on Friday and the Met Office has issued a weather watch.

The snow could cause some disruption for a few hours but it won't last and rain and milder conditions are expected by the weekend as low pressure moves in from the south west.

Some of you might be joining in with the BBC Stargazing event which is happening tonight and tomorrow night. It looks like tomorrow night is your best bet with some gaps in the cloud. Find out more about this event in Gulls blog.

And finally if you missed my brand new series of Weatherman Walking - don't despair! You can watch again on BBC iplayer and get all the info for each walk on the website.

Derek

Happy New Year to you all.

I hope you had an enjoyable and relaxing time, although if family were involved, then I sincerely doubt it! ;)

This year I completed my first ever Xmas Day Swim at Coney - the first one to have snow on the ground apparently.

I wasn't sure what to expect but came prepared, as any man should for such an occasion - dressed in a penguin outfit...

I'd worn wetsuit boots on my feet for the walk down, as parking was chaotic with 100's of people turning up to watch the spectacle unfold, but my two swimming 'compadres' and swim veterans quickly assured me that wetsuit boots were not permitted.

Sadly, I buckled under peer pressure and immediately regretted it as the klaxon sounded to announce the start of the swim.

As we mustered outside the Hi-Tide Inn, Coney Beach, it quickly became apparent that our feet were beginning to stick to the icy tarmac.

As I handed my boots over to a stall owner for safe keeping, she begged me to keep them, explaining to me that I needed them and that it was very cold in the sea! ;)

If we could have just run in then it wouldn't have been so bad, but we had to stand still in a crowd and wait patiently, as swimmers slowly moved down the concrete steps towards the ocean.

After seeing the sand coming into view in, I was feeling a little more optimistic before realising that there was a layer of hard ice and snow covering it, and my feet finally gave up and went completely numb.

We plodded down, semi-naked people of all shapes, sizes, ages and sexes and plenty of great fancy dress costumes too, all raising money for charities in the process.This year 860 people took part in the 46th swim, raising more than £7,400 for local charities.

Well, it looks as if we've seen the worst of the snow for the time being but we could be in for a little bit more on Wednesday.

Aside from all the chaos the snow causes; it also dramatically alters the landscape - transforming the mundane into something very dramatic.

I found myself getting repeatedly lost on Saturday morning trying to escape Cardiff and get onto the slippery M4.

As I walked to my van, I felt like I was in a disaster movie - with abandoned cars and snow everywhere I looked, but no people!

The normally busy roads were eerily quiet aside from the occasional jack-knifed delivery lorry or car skidding to escape the snow.

Once I'd dug my van out and got going, the fun really began. I've never missed so many turns in all my life but all familiarity vanished.

Everything looked completely different and with road signs covered in snow, it made navigating, let alone driving - very tricky indeed.

*If you're on an icy hill, keep a steady speed all the way up - don't brake or stop on the steepest section* Sorry, but I had to get that off my chest!

You've all been very busy, getting out and about and taking some amazing photos, so here are a few taken during the recent snow flurries:

The big freeze is about to return with Arctic winds bringing a big drop in temperature, ice and some significant snow fall tonight and tomorrow.

The north and west and the south west are likely to be worst hit. The snow will be in the form of showers, so amounts of snow will vary from place to place. 2 to 5cm, 1 to 2 inches is expected quite widely.