WEEKS of snow and ice are on the way due to a rise in temperatures in the North Pole, the Met Office has warned.

The forecasting agency has recorded rises which usually trigger a phenomenon known as a polar vortex.

The event, known as a Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW), usually lasts for two weeks or longer and brings widespread snow.

Video: Met Office

Computer simulations carried out by the Met Office are currently predicting heavy snow across the UK in late February as a direct result

The cold spell of weather is expected to hit at the end of the week.