What is thundersnow – and is it dangerous?

Britain is bracing itself for a flurry of wintery storms in the days ahead, including the chance of a "thundersnow".

The unusual weather phenomenon occurs when thunderclouds break in extremely cold weather and the precipitation falls as snow, not rain.

An Arctic blast originating from Canada could see temperatures plummet as low as -8C in parts of the UK this week as storm clouds gather, the perfect condition for thundersnow.

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"All that it really needs is for thunder to happen at the same time as the snow," Met Office meteorologist Emma Sharples told The Independent. "It is definitely possible."

Despite its dramatic name, thundersnow poses no more danger than an average snowfall, although it might provide a more impressive spectacle.

"When thundersnow occurs during night time, the lightning appears brighter because it is reflected against the snowflakes," the BBC reports.

More dangerous are the high winds rocking coastal and hilly areas, which have already closed bridges and roads and left hundreds of homes without electricity.

"In Nuneaton, train passengers were stunned when services were delayed after high winds blew a trampoline onto overheard power cables," the Daily Telegraph reports.

The Met Office has issued a yellow "awareness" weather warning for Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern England, which is expected to last at least until the end of the week.

However, the UK is getting off lightly compared to mainland Europe, where temperatures as low as -30C and heavy snowfalls from Romania to Italy have led to power outages, transport shutdowns and at least 61 deaths.

Hypothermia, road accidents or illness linked to the freezing conditions have claimed the lives of at least 20 Poles, eight Italians and two migrants found frozen to death in the mountains by Bulgarian police.