Many schools shut for a third day amid warning of further ice and snow

Hundreds of schools in northern Scotland will remain closed for a third day as much of the country braces itself for further snow and icy conditions.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for ice and snow across the northern half of the country on Wednesday, which comes into force at midnight and remains in place until 11.59pm.

Forecasters have warned a further 5-10cm of snow is likely to fall across ground above 100m, while areas above 200m could see up to 20cm.

There is also a yellow warning of ice for southern and western parts of the country from midnight until 10am.

Heavy snow in the first part of the week led to hundreds of schools being closed across northern Scotland on Tuesday, and while many are set to reopen on Wednesday, disruption continues in many areas.

This includes Aberdeenshire, where all schools and council-run nurseries will remain closed, along with dozens of schools in Moray and Aberdeen and a number of those in Orkney and Shetland.

Pupils in the Highlands were due to return from the festive break on Wednesday but many will have an extra day off with more than 120 schools shut due to the weather conditions.

Aberdeenshire Council declared a major incident on Tuesday, warning of a “good chance” some rural communities will be cut off, as well as the possibility of power cuts.

The snowy conditions on Tuesday disrupted road, air and rail travel across the country – with some train lines shut after snow up to 1.2m deep drifted on to the tracks in places.

National Rail said train services in northern Scotland will be disrupted until the end of the day on Tuesday, with Network Rail Scotland saying work is ongoing overnight in an effort to keep tracks clear.

The lowest overnight temperature in Scotland on Tuesday was in Dalwhinnie and Tulloch Bridge, where temperatures dropped as low as minus 11.2C and minus 10.7C.

In Glasgow, services on the city’s subway network were suspended on Tuesday after ice on the third rail caused a power failure.

Operator SPT said that services on the outer circle line had resumed by lunchtime.

Wednesday’s yellow weather warning for snow and ice covers an area stretching north from Dundee in the east and the Isle of Skye in the west.

Describing likely conditions in the affected area, the Met Office said: “An area of snow is likely to persist across northern Scotland during Wednesday, spreading down the east coast through the day.

“This falling as rain or sleet at low elevations, especially around coasts, but is likely to fall on to frozen surfaces, bringing the potential for widespread icy conditions to continue.”

Police Scotland said the impact of the snow is likely to be felt over the next few days in the north and north-east of Scotland, urging people to follow travel advice.

Assistant chief constable Alan Waddell said: “Local resilience partnerships are continuing to meet to co-ordinate and deliver the response to disruption experienced by communities in the north and north-east of Scotland following heavy snowfall over the weekend.

“We have been working closely with resilience partners across local authorities, other emergency service partners, transport partners, NHS and health and social care partnerships, and other local organisations to support communities affected by adverse weather and keep public services open where possible.

“Some services may be impacted by adverse weather and I would encourage the public to check on neighbours or relatives, if they are able to do so safely.”

Ministers met police, local authorities, utilities companies and other bodies on Tuesday to discuss the response to the severe weather.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance, who chaired the meeting, said “difficult conditions” are expected to remain this week, and ministers will “continue to closely monitor the situation and to engage with local partners in severely affected areas”.

Posting on social media, John Swinney said: “Please be aware of amber warning of snow affecting much of the north of Scotland today and the yellow warning of snow and ice across most of Scotland.

“I am very grateful to all public bodies and volunteers for the support that is being provided. Please stay safe.”

The First Minister had earlier paid tribute to the “truly exceptional” efforts of farmers, volunteers and members of the public in helping clear roads, dig out cars and keep people safe, which he said showed “heartening” community spirit.