BITTERLY cold easterlies from Russia are set to bring snow showers to York and North East Yorkshire by early next week.

Tenperatures are unlikely to rise above freezing from Sunday onwards in higher parts of the North York Moors, such as Goathland, and will reach a maximum of only -3 by next Wednesday ans fall to -6 by Wednesday night.

Light but frequent snow showers are likely on the moors from Monday or Tuesday onwards, with some getting through to lower areas such as York.

Forecasters also believe there may be longer periods of snow later next week, giving more widespread accumulations, but cannot yet say when this will happen.

The cold weather looks set to continue until mid-March, when milder, wetter and breezier weather may return.

The winter has been dominated until now by north-westerly winds which have brought some snow to higher parts of North Yorkshire, but this has mostly fallen as sleet in York.

The last really cold and snowy weather in York was in December 2010, when easterly winds brought heavy and disruptive snowfall in the city and very harsh frosts.