Powys residents are being warned to prepare for 'bitterly cold' weather conditions as a Siberian weather system sweeps across the UK.

Yellow and Amber weather warnings for snow and ice have been put in place for most of the UK as the so called 'beast from the East' storm system moves in from Russia - with the Met Office warning of 'blizzard conditions' for some parts of the UK and wind chill factors as low as minus 15C (5F).

England and Northern Ireland are expected to bear the brunt of the conditions, with up to 20cm of snow forecast by Wednesday night, while Scotland is expected to have between 5cm and 10cm of snow on Wednesday.

The Met Office weather warning service for Wales says: "Snow showers or longer periods of snow are expected on Tuesday, accompanied by very low temperatures. There is the potential for travel delays on roads, with some stranded vehicles and passengers, as well as delays or cancellations to rail and air travel. Some rural communities could become cut off. Power cuts may also occur and other services, such as mobile phones, may be affected."

Met Office meteorologist Charlie Powell said: "The UK is on track for some really cold weather this week. It's not going to be record-breaking, but it'll be pretty exceptional - winds are going to make it feel minus 10C (14F) to minus 15C (5F) during the day.

"We will see the first signs of that tonight in the shape of snow showers working all the way down the east coast.

"That continues into Monday, with snow showers moving across the country during the day before reaching Wales.

He added that while he did not want to alarm people, the Met Office was urging people to be prepared for the so-called "beast from the East".

Elsewhere, Arriva Trains Wales are warning commuters to take care on their stations and said they were working to minimise disruption to services in the area.

Bethan Jelfs, Customer Services Director for Arriva Trains Wales said: “We know we’ll be seeing very poor weather conditions this week and we are working closely with our partners in Network Rail to be prepared for it and to minimise any disruption.

“In order to keep our customers and colleagues safe, we may need to make last minute alterations to some services.

“Customers should take extra care on their way to and from stations, and while our staff will be gritting wherever possible, it is likely conditions will be very icy so please be careful and allow yourself extra time to get to your station if possible.