It’s going to get very cold in Hyndburn, with snow and sleet expected to cause disruption during Tuesday’s rush hour.

Temperatures are due to plummet to as low as -3C and could get to as low as -6C in more rural areas.

Forecasters at the Met Office have issued weather alerts warning of snow and ice.

The yellow weather warning is in place from 8pm tonight until 3pm on Tuesday morning, but experts said the snow is most likely to fall during morning rush hour.

Between 1-3cm of snow is possible, while in areas over 200m there could be up to 5cm of snow.

The snow showers will lessen by late morning and should be clear by afternoon rush hour.

There could be further snow and sleet on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, but this will be followed by milder temperatures at the end of the week.

However forecasters said this will not last long, with colder temperatures expected again at the weekend.

Weather experts at the Met Office said the cold snap is likely to continue throughout most of February, with temperatures below average for the rest of the month.

Simon Partridge, forecaster for the Met Office, said: “Today in the north west it will be a cold and bright day, it won’t be bad at all.

"Overnight though we start to see a change and there will be some sleet and snow.

“It is arriving and moving across from 5am to 6am in the morning. It will be around during morning rush hour and the morning school run.

“The warning is valid from 8pm tonight until 3am tomorrow morning. There is between 1cm to 3cm snow expected, above 200m up to 5cm of snow.

“It will probably be cleared by mid-afternoon on Tuesday. It does become a little bit patchy as the day goes on.

“It will stay cold all week. There is potential for sleet and snow as we go into Wednesday and Thursday.

“Overnight tonight we could see temperatures, even in the city centre, down to -3C. In more rural spots it could go as low to -5 to -6C tonight.”

He added: “During the day tomorrow it wont get much above 3-4C. A bit further on Tuesday into Wednesday it will get down to -6C that night. Wednesday day it will be no more than 4C.

“Most of February is going to be near to or below average temperatures. It is going to be a more prolonged chilly spell.”

This is what the weather forecast is looking like for each day this week:

Monday

There will be a few light wintry flurries in the morning, but most of the day will be bright with plenty of sunshine.

It is going to feel cold, with temperatures reaching highs of 4C.

Overnight it will become cold and frosty, with clear skies. A band of cloud will follow and there could be snow accumulations to low-levels.

Temperatures are expected to dip to -4C.

Tuesday

It will be cold with some snow clearing southeastward through the morning.

In the afternoon it will become dry and sunny, although there is a small risk of isolated wintry showers in some areas. Temperatures are expected to reach highs of 5C.

Wednesday

There will be cold and bright sunny spells, with temperatures feeling more mild than recent days.

Thursday

Rain, sleet and hill snow could be possible, followed by blustery showers. It will be frosty overnight.

Friday

It is expected to start to get cold again, with wintry showers likely on Friday.