TUESDAY UPDATE - Oxfordshire still waiting for 'the beast' to strike 

Temperatures across the county to plunge well below freezing and snow could be on the way.

The freezing weather set to sweep in from Russia has been dubbed 'the Beast from the East' and could spread cold weather and snow across the county.

A yellow Met Office warning for snow has been issued for Tuesday and Wednesday, with a more severe 'amber' warning creeping closer towards the county.

Oxford Mail:

Weather warnings for Tuesday - pic. Met Office

Temperatures in Benson, one of the county's weather monitoring stations, are expected to drop to minus 7C tomorrow and Wednesday after it dropped below freezing last night.

It won't be quite as cold elsewhere but it could still go as low as minus 4C in Oxford and other parts of the county.

The Met Office has warned of disruption to public transport and on the roads.

It said stranded vehicles could be likely as well delays to rail and air travel.

Oxford Mail:

The yellow warning area for tomorrow - pic. Met Office

Power cuts could also hit the county and mobile phone outages could also affect people throughout the week.

Long periods of snow are expected tomorrow and up to 10cm of the white stuff could settle in Oxfordshire.

The AA has issued some driving advice ahead of the bad weather:

  • Give yourself time: Allow plenty of extra time for your journey, including time to de-ice the car. It may take longer but it also means that you will have full visibility which in bad weather is vital.  Don’t be tempted to pour hot water over the screen – if has a chip the sudden change in temperature could lead to a crack.  Best way is to use a scraper.  And don’t leave your car alone with the engine running, that’s an invitation to thieves
  • See and be seen: Make sure the windscreen and windows, as well as headlights and mirrors, are all properly cleared of snow and ice. Push snow from the roof and bonnet too as it will fly off while driving or, if you brake heavily, will slide down your windscreen and block your visibility.  Make sure your lights are all working and use them in poor daylight visibility.
  • Take the essentials: Be prepared for your journey to take much longer than usual and pack essentials including warm and waterproof layers and dry, sturdy footwear, high energy refreshments and a flask of hot drink or water, a torch, extra screen wash, any personal medication in case of long delays, a fully-charged mobile (with the AA app pre-loaded) and an atlas or sat-nav in case of diversions.
  • Drive smoothly: Drive to the conditions and leave plenty of space between you and the car in front as stopping distances will be significantly greater.
  • Keep a grip: Make sure your tyres are properly inflated – contrary to popular belief letting some air out of your tyres does not improve their grip on snow and ice – it has the opposite effect.  If the tyre tread is below 3mm then get the