Twenty-four cars in motorway pile-up as wintry weather causes chaos across northern Britain

Heavy snow in Allendale, northern England, after temperatures dipped below freezing. Photo / AP

Snow falling across northern England and southern Scotland caused huge traffic disruption today as 24 vehicles became involved in a motorway pile-up.

The Met Office issued a weather warning today after overnight temperatures dipped below freezing and are expected to remain in single figures across most of the country thoughout the day.

In Lancashire, a "sudden microburst" of hail and snow caused a 24-car motorway pile-up which closed the M55 in both directions, the Daily Telegraph reports.

No-one was seriously injured but the crash caused "carnage", the force said.

The snow warning covered an area of northern England and southern Scotland, with flurries also seen in the Midlands. The warning was later lifted.

Forecasters said a band of rain and hill snow will push eastwards, while Scotland and Northern Ireland are expected to see strong winds with coastal gales.

There will be sunshine and some rain for the southern and western parts, although showers are forecast to be heavy with hail and thunder mixed in.

Temperatures will remain on the cold side, with around 5C or 6C the maximum for many and 10C expected in the south-east.

The higher temperatures didn't prevent people being hit by snow after flurries fell in London.

Met Office meteorologist Helen Roberts said the country could expect a continuation of sunshine combined with heavy, blustery showers today, 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.

M55 reopens after sudden "microburst" of snow and hail causes 24-car pile-up on motorway https://t.co/yjEppIvnS4

— Lancashire Post (@leponline) April 3, 2019

Heavy #uksnow now falling in Northumberland in the UK so much for the start of summer @snowwatchGB @UKSnowUpdates @StormHour @PA @EarthandClouds @ChronicleLive pic.twitter.com/r1PgiUXV2w

— Owen Humphreys (@owenhumphreys1) April 3, 2019

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."

Little change in the conditions is expected for tomorrow, although the focus for most of the showers will be in the south-west of the UK.

The Met Office also confirmed last month was among the wettest March on record in the UK.

Provisional figures show the UK had an average 132.9mm of rainfall - the fifth wettest since data was collected in 1910. The all-time record for March is 150.3mm, which was set in 1981.

#Rain, #Sleet and #Snow will give some difficult driving conditions on Thursday morning, especially across parts of Wales and the West Midlands. Elsewhere, cold with #Icy stretches so take care on the roads #WeatherAware ⚠️🌧️❄️ @TheRAC_UK pic.twitter.com/12mF45Nqme

— Met Office (@metoffice) April 3, 2019

Good morning from @MarLodgeNTS! #Cairngorms #uksnow pic.twitter.com/b7E6dPZ48J

— Ben Dolphin (@CountrysideBen) April 3, 2019