Parts of the country are bracing for snow and wintry showers this week as the country's cold spell continues.

Parts of the UK could see lows of -8C on Tuesday with parts of the country like Shap in Cumbria recording the coldest recorded temperature so far this autumn.

However, while BBC Weather has said that snow is possible, it pointed out that there is "a lot more uncertainty than normal" in these forecasts.

The parts of the country most affected by these warnings include parts of the north of England and rural Scotland.

The Northern Echo: Low temperatures of -8C could be recorded in part of the UK this week as snow predicted (Getty)Low temperatures of -8C could be recorded in part of the UK this week as snow predicted (Getty) (Image: Getty)

Last week, highland parts of Scotland and England saw snowfall, something that is typical for this time of year.

There is also some potential for snow further south with a wet start to the week set to make snowier conditions possible.

'Rain, sleet and snow' possible across the UK this week 

Simon King, lead BBC Weather presenter, said: "It's going to be a cold week with temperatures only around 2 to 7 degrees Celsius - which is below the average for the time of year."

Speaking of possible snow later in the week, Mr King added: "Here's the big caveat. There's a lot more uncertainty than normal in the forecast and therefore this prospect of snow.

"One weather model we use, the American 'GFS', is showing an area of rain, sleet and snow - even to low levels - moving in across southern parts of the UK. Snow showers also across northern and eastern areas.

"Another weather model, the European 'EC', is different and doesn't have this snow signal for southern parts but instead is showing wintry showers for some.

"Forecasting snow in the UK in December is actually really tricky. Being an island, it's typically not quite cold enough and we still have a battle between milder tropical air and colder Arctic air.

"Weather forecast models need to start agreeing on certain aspects before we can be more confident on the forecast later this week. Stay tuned."