Snow and ice forecast as temperature plummets

Wintry showers are expected to sweep across parts of Scotland with snow and ice likely to cause travel disruption, forecasters have warned.

It comes a week after Storm Malik and Storm Corrie battered the country with gusts of more than 90mph in places, leaving tens of thousands of homes without power.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for snow and ice from Friday at 3pm until midnight, affecting central Scotland, Tayside, Fife, Grampian, the Highlands, Strathclyde and Orkney and Shetland.

Road users have been warned about icy patches which are likely to cause difficult driving conditions.

Forecasters said frequent and occasionally heavy snow showers are expected on Saturday night and Sunday, and combined with strong westerly winds will lead to blizzard conditions and drifting snow on higher routes across the Highlands.

A yellow weather warning is in place for snow for both days between 3pm and 5pm.

The regions affected will be central, Tayside, Fife, the South West and Lothian and Borders, Strathclyde, the Highlands and Grampian.

About 2-5cm of snow is possible in places, with potentially 10-15cm accumulating on routes above 300 metres.

Temperatures will drop to about 1C (34F) over the weekend, but in some areas it will be even colder at minus 6C (21F), according to the Met Office.

Icy patches will be an additional hazard, especially across western coastal areas.

Traffic Scotland has issued warnings to drivers in Dundee, Moray, Perth and Kinross and Aberdeenshire due to low temperatures affecting driving conditions.

Bear Scotland, which manages and maintains trunk roads on behalf of Transport Scotland, said its teams will be “working round the clock” to ensure routes remain safe in the wintry conditions.