Early risers in Huddersfield were treated to a stunning palette of colour.

And they weren’t slow to grab their cameras and capture the amazing purple and pink hues of a December morning.

The sunrise which greeted everyone today produced a spectacular display of tones ranging from deep purple to vivid pink.

It was all down to the refraction of the rising sun through the atmosphere.

Huddersfield weatherman Paul Stevens said: “There is a deep depression out in the Atlantic that is building up and is set to bring us stormy weather later this week.

“The jetstream is also very active at the moment, moving along at more than 200mph, and that is taking up very cold air high into the skies, perhaps up to 40,000 feet.

“There are a lot of ice and dust particles in those clouds very high in the sky and the sun’s rays as it rises get refracted to bring us a whole range of stunning colours.”

It is likely to be a short-lived treat; the rest of this week should see Huddersfield hit by gale-force winds, heavy rain and more sleet and snow showers. And it’s set to remain cold for much of the time.

The Met Office issued yellow “be aware” warnings for most of the country and has now upgraded them for the west coast of Scotland, the Highlands and islands and Northern Ireland to amber “be prepared” warnings.

The rapid cyclogenesis — known colloquially as a “weather bomb” — is a deep low pressure system moving slowly eastwards between Scotland and Iceland.