This is when polar air and snow will be hitting Lancashire - and why there's a Yellow Weather Warning

Unseasonably mild temperatures are set to plunge within days, and Lancastrians are being warned of polar air and snow.

WX Charts show that after heavy rainfall early next week, by Wednesday there is a chance of light snowfall in northern and hilly areas. By Friday, the charts show most of the North West covered in snow, which will die out by the Saturday.

Netweather's Nick Finnis agrees that we're about to see a sudden change next week. He said: "After a mild start to the week, it looks to turn colder, as bouts of polar maritime air spread in from the west, with rain turning increasingly to snow across northern and western hills towards the end of the week. These chillier but unsettled and sometimes windy conditions could prevail to the end of the month too, though uncertainty for now."

Is a tea shortage brewing? This is what Lancashire Tea have to say

Met Office

The Met Office's long-range weather forecast for the UK doesn't suggest snow.

They say thay from Tuesday, February 20 to Thursday, February 29, there will be "unsettled" conditions, with temperatures moving to average for the time of year, and bands of rainfall. They say there will be "occasional strong winds especially in north-western areas, with more settled conditions across the south and east where driest and brightest conditions most likely."

Yellow weather warning

There is, however, a current weather warning for rain in the North West. Experts at the Met Office say that between 3pm on Saturday, February 17 and 6pm on Sunday, February 18, there is likely to be heavy spells of rain and some disruption is likely. They say that flooding of a few homes and businesses is likely, bus and train services will be "probably affected with journey times taking longer", and there could be some interruption to power supplies and other services.