Severe storms with winds up to 70mph are expected to batter parts of England, Northern Ireland and Wales for several days from tomorrow.
The storms will be followed by a cold snap which could last five days and bring snow to Scotland, northern England and parts of the Midlands next week.
Weatherman Stephen Davenport warned that drivers in Scotland may face icy patches on the roads, but added that worse weather is still to come.
He said: "It will be windy today but not damaging. Winds may reach up to 60mph in some exposed parts of Scotland today but the real disruption will come to a crescendo tomorrow.
"People need to be careful tomorrow because these winds could be strong enough to cause some damage.
"Worst hit will be the coastlines in Kent and Sussex but the whole of the country will experience high winds. People need to keep a close eye on forecasts for the next few days."
At the weekend and into next week temperatures are predicted to drop after an unseasonably mild start to the year.
But Mr Davenport said this was nothing out of the ordinary: "If anything the temperatures will return to normal for this time of year by next week.
"It has been a very warm January so far so people will feel the cold more. But the temperatures we are looking at for next week are by no means extraordinary.
"There will be some snow and sleet in the north by the middle of next week. It is unlikely London and the south east of England will get much snow - certainly not enough to cause any major disruption."
The storms will be followed by a cold snap which could last five days and bring snow to Scotland, northern England and parts of the Midlands next week.
Weatherman Stephen Davenport warned that drivers in Scotland may face icy patches on the roads, but added that worse weather is still to come.
He said: "It will be windy today but not damaging. Winds may reach up to 60mph in some exposed parts of Scotland today but the real disruption will come to a crescendo tomorrow.
"People need to be careful tomorrow because these winds could be strong enough to cause some damage.
"Worst hit will be the coastlines in Kent and Sussex but the whole of the country will experience high winds. People need to keep a close eye on forecasts for the next few days."
At the weekend and into next week temperatures are predicted to drop after an unseasonably mild start to the year.
But Mr Davenport said this was nothing out of the ordinary: "If anything the temperatures will return to normal for this time of year by next week.
"It has been a very warm January so far so people will feel the cold more. But the temperatures we are looking at for next week are by no means extraordinary.
"There will be some snow and sleet in the north by the middle of next week. It is unlikely London and the south east of England will get much snow - certainly not enough to cause any major disruption."
