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Snow is likely to blanket parts of Britain in just a few weeks, with Met Office forecasters predicting a chilly Halloween that could leave millions of families shivering as temperatures plummet by as much as 50F from mid-October.

Meteorologists expect a cold front to bring snow to the Scottish mountains and higher ground in England and North Wales from October 19 through to November 2, with temperatures in some areas falling as an early winter grips the country.

Greg Dewhurst, a senior forecaster at the Met Office, said: 'We're likely to see some snowy weather in higher parts as October moves into November. Likely areas to be affected are the Scottish mountains as well as higher ground in northern England and northern Wales. 

'Low areas are unlikely to see any. It's quite normal for this time of year.' 

The Met Office's long-range forecast says conditions will become more unsettled across the UK, with the wettest and windiest conditions in the north and north-west, while southern and eastern areas are likely to experience settled weather. 

'Moving forward, wider dry spells are likely across the country, with the risk of overnight fog which will clear by day. Through this period temperatures will remain near or above average. There is a chance of a colder settled period becoming established by early November,' it adds. 

It comes after heavy downpours left cities such as London, Newcastle and Liverpool underwater while floods submerged roads in Devon, Gloucestershire, Plymouth, Sussex, Kent and Dorset yesterday morning as commuters went to work.

The floodwater led to traffic chaos including shut motorways, blocked roads - and even disrupted trains.     

Meteorologists expect a cold front to bring snow to the Scottish mountains and higher ground in England and North Wales from October 19 through to November 2, with temperatures in some areas falling as an early winter grips the country

Members of the public snowboard at Glenshee on February 8, 2021 in Glenshee, Scotland

Winds could reach speeds of 70mph and there could be 5mm of rain every hour in the worst downpours. Friday is expected to get off to a wet start first thing, particularly across the North - though this will clear up and bring in some sunny spells

The Met Office forecast until October 7 warns: 'This will bring showers or longer spells of rain, heavy at times, too many areas. Strong winds are also likely, particularly along coasts.

'As this area of low pressure moves away another is likely to move to the north of the UK. This will bring further showers or longer spells of rain to the north and northwest, along with the potential for strong winds.'      

Forecasters say that St James' Park in London recorded 26mm or just more than an inch of rain in the space of an hour yesterday while videos from the nearby Knightsbridge and Hammersmith areas showed deep flooding affecting roads and businesses. 

Commuters in Essex described 'biblical' rainfall which has also caused major disruption to the C2C rail network.

The Met Office has confirmed that between midnight and 6am, St James' Park in London saw 35mm of rain while Storrington in West Sussex saw 30mm and Market Bosworth in Leicestershire recorded 29mm. Cars have been seen ploughing through deep flood water on the roads in Whitley Bay, Tyneside, where weather warnings are still in place. 

Pictured: A woman is carried over floodwater by a fireman in Knightsbridge yesterday, where the road was washed out

An Audi is almost fully submerged in flood water in Essex after the south east was battered by rainfall 

London was hit by torrential rain last night which meant commuters had to negotiate flooding and travel chaos this morning

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he was working with transport and council bosses to address flooding in the capital.

He said: 'Londoners will be aware that flash flooding has impacted parts of our transport network. I'm in touch with who are working hard with local councils to open roads and return affected Tube and rail service to normal as quickly and safely as possible.

'Once again, we're seeing the impact of the climate emergency on our doorstep. In London we're leading from the front to tackle this crisis, and I'll continue to urge other politicians here and around the world to take the action that's desperately needed.'

In London, one of Princess Diana's favourite dressmakers saw its dresses left damaged amid the torrential downpours in the upmarket Knightsbridge district of central London.

Jacques Azagury, the owner of the Azagury women's fashion designer store, described the flooding as a 'disaster' for his shop, saying mud ruined his store as firefighters tried to pump water out.