Scotland Weather: New amber snow warning issued as hundreds of schools remain closed for second day

Hundreds of schools in Scotland will remain closed for a second day while a new amber weather warning for snow has been issued.

The Met Office has issued another warning for snow for large parts of north-east and northern Scotland from 11am until 7pm on Tuesday, with forecasters warning of 5-10cm of snow widely, and up to 15cm in places.

This follows a yellow warning of snow and ice that is in place as far south as Perth until midnight on Tuesday.

The forecaster also issued a yellow warning of snow and ice from the central belt south down beyond the border, until 11am on Tuesday.

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Schools in Shetland, Orkney, Aberdeenshire, and parts of Moray will remain shut on Tuesday after pupils enjoyed an extra day of holiday on Monday following the festive break due to the weather.

National Rail said that train services in northern Scotland will be disrupted until the end of the day on Tuesday, although ScotRail said services on the route between Aberdeen and Dundee would run in the morning.

Large parts of Scotland covered by new warning

The areas covered by the new Met Office amber warning include parts of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highland, Angus and Perth and Kinross.

It states: “A spell of heavy snow is expected to move east across central and northern Scotland during Tuesday, clearing to wintry showers during Tuesday night.

“A further 5-10cm is expected widely with 15cm in places, particularly above 200 metres.”

On Monday, Loganair cancelled flights from Aberdeen and Inverness airports, and a number of flights to and from Sumburgh Airport in Shetland were cancelled, as were several departures from Kirkwall Airport in Orkney.

In the yellow alert area, forecasters predict that 2-5cm of snow is likely to fall fairly widely, with the possibility of a further 10-15cm in some areas.

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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.

“Heavy snow and ice means driving conditions are likely to continue to be hazardous in some areas. Our advice is to plan ahead and consider if your journey is really necessary.

“If you need to travel, please fully clear your vehicle windows of snow and ice before you drive, drive to the conditions, be prepared for delays and allow extra time for your journey.”

Government ministers prepare for further snow and ice

On Monday, ministers met police, local authorities, utilities companies and other bodies to discuss recovery efforts and to prepare for further snow and ice warnings.

After the meeting, Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney said: “At present, there is still some travel disruption but trunk roads are open and rail, ferry and air services are working to get back to normal as quickly as possible,” he said.

“Likewise, many schools are closed today but remote learning is in place for young people while contingency plans are in place for affected health and social care services.

“There will be further snow and ice, with yellow warnings in large parts of Scotland and temperatures set to remain cold, so impacts will continue to be felt in the coming days which could include transport problems and I would encourage everyone to plan ahead, look out for each other and pay close attention to the range of weather and travel advice available.”