Scotland’s weather: Blizzards alert for large parts of Scotland

A mixture of snow and high winds will affect the north and west coasts, with showers moving further inland.

The Met Office has issued yellow “be aware” warnings of snow for Orkney, Shetland, the Highlands, Grampian, Strathclyde, Tayside, Fife and Central Scotland. The severe conditions are expected to move in from about 9am today and last until midnight.

Strathclyde, south-west Scotland, Lothian, the Borders, Wales, Northern Ireland and the north-west of England have been warned to expect ice today and tomorrow.

Stephen Davenport, a senior meteorologist with MeteoGroup said: “A blizzard is snow with winds of 25mph or more, and we are looking at 30-35mph in exposed areas and 50-60mph gusts. These will mainly affect Caithness and Sutherland and eastern Aberdeenshire.

“The snow will struggle to get through to Glasgow, but there will be some showers.

“There will be a few centimetres in places further north, at the Moray Firth, and down the coast along western Galloway.

“With the cold front coming south during Saturday, wet surfaces will turn cold and then into ice. That will begin to die off on Sunday morning, with milder conditions moving in.”

The Met Office said northern and western coastal fringes would see between 2in (5cm) and 4in of snow, with 6in likely over higher ground.

Police have urged motorists to be aware of the conditions they are driving in and to check routes before setting off.