Freezing fog descends as North East braces for Arctic conditions - will it snow this week?

After unseasonably mild weather, motorists had the unfamiliar experience of reaching for the deicer as they set off for work this morning.

Forecasts are promising bright or sunny spells, with scattered, occasionally heavy, showers promised later today, expected to turn wintry over high ground.

The Met Office said temperatures along the coast are expected to be the highest, but a maximum of seven degrees.

Tomorrow looks set to be even colder, reaching 5°C at best, with some bright or sunny intervals in the morning - but a cold northwesterly wind bringing showers or longer spells of rain, sometimes heavy and also wintry over high ground.

And the rest of the week is expected to be much the same, with frosty starts, sunny spells, cold temperatures and some showers, perhaps wintry.