The UK faces five days of snow and ice across northern parts, while heavy rain could cause problems further south.
There are three yellow weather warnings for snow for Thursday covering most of Scotland and northern England, meaning drivers risk becoming stranded and power cuts are possible.
The Met Office said 10cm to 20cm of snow could fall on higher ground, with 40cm predicted to fall over the Grampians.
There is also a yellow warning for rain covering lower parts of Scotland and Northern England in force until midday on Saturday, meaning localised flooding is likely.
A similar warning for rain is in place covering most of Counties Derry, Antrim, Down and Armagh until midnight on Thursday.
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Mark Sidaway said: “Into the weekend, snow will continue across much of Scotland, and is likely to increasingly fall to low levels before beginning to move south into northern and eastern England.