Heavy snow on the way as cold snap hits Lothians

SEVERE weather warnings have been issued across the east coast of Scotland today, with forecasters urging drivers to be prepared for heavy snow over the weekend.

• Heavy snow in Castleton, Derbyshire yesterday. Similar weather is set to hit the Lothians next week

The Met Office this morning warned of "widespread icy roads" on untreated surfaces throughout Friday while forecasting "heavy snow" on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

Temperatures across the UK plunged last night as biting winds swept in from the North Sea, with Britons being warned the wintry spell could last for at least ten days.

The coldest place in the UK was Carterhouse, south of Jedburgh, in the Scottish Borders, which touched -7.8C. Gritters were on the streets of the Capital this morning as temperatures dipped to -1.5C during the night while in Haddington they plunged to -2C.

In icy conditions last night, a plane with 196 passengers overshot its landing position at Newcastle airport.

No-one on board the flight from Lanzarote was injured, but the airport was closed for a time after the incident.

Forecaster Meteogroup said it expected the temperature in Edinburgh to dip to -3C over Saturday night into Sunday morning, with the average day temperature steady at around 2C.

The weather front is expected to continue throughout next week, with provisional Met Office forecasts for the Lothians for Sunday to Tuesday warning of "bitterly cold with widespread snow showers in the east, moderate to heavy falls in places, with drifting in the strong easterly winds".

Robin Steel, forecaster for the Met Office in Scotland, said: "The weather shouldn't be too bad today but you can expect snowfall from this evening.

"After tonight it really is a very wintry scenario for Edinburgh and the Lothians. We're looking at snow showers, drifting in during Saturday.

"After the weekend we're really looking at heavy snow, and any raised area or hills in the Lothians can expect real drifting snow into Monday. Temperatures might dip as low as -4C on Saturday night.

"In my 20 years as a forecaster I've not known this much cold weather so early. Usually we see this kind of weather in January or February.

Paul Leather, of the AA patrol, said: "Our concern for this morning is black ice - the snow will have thawed a bit during the day and could prove treacherous as people head home.

"If possible, people should stick to the gritted main roads and keep their speed down."