Ice and snow warnings issued for Scotland as temperatures drop

A Met Office yellow weather warning for ice has been issued for the north and west of Scotland as temperatures drop across the country.

A yellow warning for snow also covers much of the north.

The warnings are in place from Thursday afternoon until Friday morning.

The cold conditions are expected to cause disruption within the warning areas, with further snow and ice warnings in place until Monday.

Some rail services are experiencing disruption.

Landslips on the Far North line were creating disruption to services between Inverness and Wick. Replacement bus services are in operation.

The Highland Main Line remains closed. Network Rail said it could not reopen as one bridge – at Balavil Burn in Kingussie – still required an inspection of its foundations.

However, water levels were too high for engineers to safely carry out checks.

There are also warnings of difficult driving conditions throughout the country as a result of snow and ice. The A939 between Cockbridge and Tomintoul in Aberdeenshire has been closed due to snow.

Police Scotland warned drivers in South Aberdeenshire of poor driving conditions, urging: “Please consider if your journey is absolutely necessary and if travelling is required pay attention to forecasts and drive according to the conditions.”

Further warnings of snow and ice for Scotland have also been issued, running from 10:00 on Thursday to 09:00 on Monday.

On Thursday and Friday, ice is expected to create difficult travel conditions in the west of the country.

There are also warnings of ice and snow in the far north, Orkney and Shetland on Thursday and Friday, with forecasters predicting 3-7cm of snow in places, while up to 10cm could fall on higher ground.

Further snow showers are expected on Thursday, with a band of more persistent sleet and snow moving southwards later in the afternoon and through the evening.

Wintry weather is then expected over the weekend, with a Met Office yellow weather warning for snow covering the south east of the country between 4-6 January.

Transport Scotland advised those travelling to be cautious and plan ahead.

A spokesman urged the public to check conditions before travelling.

He added: “Please drive to the conditions, follow police travel advice, and allow extra time for your journeys.

“There is still a fair amount of localised flooding and a number of weather warnings remain in place. We’ve chaired another call with our key operational partners and the Multi Agency Response Team to ensure operating companies have suitable resources in place.

“We are grateful to staff who are out working 24/7 in challenging conditions to help keep most major roads open, with care and caution.”

Heavy rain and wind caused widespread disruption on Hogmanay, with events cancelled.

Roads were closed, trains were cancelled and households experienced power cuts, particularly around Inverness and the Highlands.