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Forecasters are predicting that temperatures will drop well below freezing this week, after the spell of mild weather over the holiday period comes to an abrupt end.

Snow and icy Siberian winds are forecast to hit Britain tomorrow and Thursday, causing chaos and congestion on the roads as millions return to work. The Met Office forecasts an average temperature of just 2.5C (36.5F), although it says that there will be a severe wind chill factor. The average temperature for last January was 6C.

Brian Golding, head of forecasting at the Met Office, said: “After a mild Christmas and new year, we will notice a real change to some cold and wintry weather. We will need to be prepared and wrap up well as we head back to work.”

The weather is expected to start to turn colder tomorrow, with temperatures plunging from 10C to 4C overnight. Any part of Britain could potentially wake up to snow on Thursday morning, the Met Office said, with rain, sleet and snow expected to brush through the South, and showers expected in the North. No more than 1cm of snow is expected, although forecasters say that this could increase to 10cm (4 inches) in hilly and mountainous areas. Friday will be brighter, although still very cold.

Experts disagree on the course of the weather after this cold snap. The Met Office says that January and February look set to be unseasonably mild. A spokesman said: “The evidence we have at the moment suggests that January and February will be milder than we would normally expect at this time of year.”

However, Piers Corbyn, from the long-range forecaster Weatheraction, predicted that temperatures would fall as low as minus 17C (1.5F) in mid-January, with heavy snow in the South East. Mr Corbyn said: “This could make this January the coldest since 1987.”

Stephen Davenport, senior meteorologist at MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: “Apocalyptic predictions verging on prophecies of a new Ice Age need to be put into perspective. There is no doubt at all that it will feel bitterly cold, especially on Thursday and particularly in the eastern half of Britain.

“Strong, raw winds from the east will bring a significant wind chill and showers of sleet and snow. In the middle of winter such conditions are hardly unknown though, and in fact could be far, far worse. Indeed, some people in the western half of the country might be left wondering what all the fuss is about.”

This week’s brief freeze is likely to have disappeared by the weekend, as milder and occasionally wet and windy weather arrives from the west.

The Highways Agency has put 500 road gritters on standby. It advises drivers to check traffic bulletins and weather forecasts, take extreme caution on icy roads, and pack a severe weather kit, which should include sturdy boots, a torch, deicer, and a spade.

A Highways Agency spokesman said that people should allow extra time for their journey. Network Rail said that it did not expect any delays or unnecessary disruptions.