Weather: Yellow warning for snow and ice after temperatures plummeted to -12.5C in parts of Scotland

Met Office warns of disruption and says heavy snow expected on Thursday

A yellow weather warning for snow and ice has been issued for much of Scotland, after the country endured the coldest night since last winter.

The Met Office put the warning in place, from 5pm on Sunday to midday on Monday, for eastern Scotland, including, Edinburgh, Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness.

It said wintry showers, including snow, could lead to icy surfaces and disruption on roads and railways.

The snow-covered peak of Beinn Eighe and the mountains of Torridon are reflected in Loch Droma near Ullapool, Wester Ross. Jane Barlow/PA Wire

The warning follows the coldest night in Scotland since last winter, with temperatures dropping down to -12.5C in Altnaharra, Sutherland.

Many Scots woke up to snow on Sunday, with experts predicting further “heavy” falls on Thursday.

A Met Office spokesman told The Scotsman: “It was a very cold start to this morning in places and we’ve got another snow and ice warning coming into place later today across east of Scotland.

"We’re not anticipating a huge amounts of snow with this. It has mostly been a form of showers through this evening, overnight and tomorrow morning, and most of the showers will be rain at lower levels.

"So it is only going to be the hills really that will see additional snowfall accumulations, from this evening and overnight.

"It’s turning a little bit milder, not quite as cold, and that is why the showers at lower levels will start to turn more to rain as we go through the night.

“So I don’t think there will be a huge issue tomorrow morning with snow, but there could well be some icy conditions, and it’s worth leaving yourself longer for your journeys, particularly if you need to travel on the higher level routes in the east of Scotland, where there could be some additional snowfall.”

Looking further forward, he added: “Staying cold for the first half of this week in Scotland, but it’s generally a but quieter – Tuesday and Wednesday look fine and dry for the majority.

"It’s Thursday that is the day that is most likely going to see further disruption due to heavy rain and heavy snow in parts.”