Britain is set to escape any impact from record snowfalls that have crippled parts of the US - but wind and rain are on the way.

Forecasters said there is a "high confidence" that the wintry storms that have hit New York state will stay on the western side of the Atlantic.

Helen Chivers, of the Met Office, said: "When the air from the States comes across the Atlantic it gets warmed and it will be much milder by the time it reaches us, which is why we won't be seeing any snow."

Instead, "unsettled" conditions are expected in Britain in the coming days.

Ms Chivers said "persistent" - although not heavy - rain will be seen in southern parts of the UK, while overnight temperatures could fall to below zero.

But the mercury will remain at or slightly above the average of around 9C for this time of year.

Ms Chivers said: "It looks as though that unsettled pattern continues through next week and we will still see some rain around.

"(The conditions) are perfectly normal for the end of autumn and start of winter."

The Met Office is predicting that "unsettled and windy" weather will continue into December.

A forecast on its website for the period from December 5 to 19 said: "Temperatures are generally expected to be around or a little above average for the time of year.

"There is a chance of some overnight and morning frost and fog in places - this will be more likely across northern areas where there is also a chance of some snow on higher ground."

Figures released earlier this week showed that November so far has been unseasonably mild.

In the warmest areas - the South East of England and East Anglia - temperatures were around 2.5C above average, according to statistics covering the first half of the month.

It has also been "very wet" in some places, the Met Office said, with the UK already seeing more than three quarters of the total rain that would be expected in the whole of November in the first 16 days.