Spring snow brings another taste of winter

IT MAY be early spring, but the north of Scotland got a late winter blast yesterday as heavy snow blanketed parts of the Highlands.

Inverness airport was closed for a while to allow snow to be cleared from runways, and although Northern Constabulary said that all the main roads were open, in exposed areas snow showers and high winds created "near white-out conditions".

The high winds meant the CalMac's Ardrossan to Brodick service was cancelled, while Stratherrick Primary in Inverness-shire was shut because of the weather.

In the Borders, the A68 and A7 were affected by snow along with higher routes in Berwickshire.

More snow was expected to hit the north of the country today, with falls of up to 30cm forecast for higher parts of Moray and Aberdeenshire. Winds are expected to cause problems again, with gusts of up to 80mph over bridges until about lunchtime.

Motorists in parts of Moray, Inverness and Ross-shire have been warned of heavy snow during the afternoon.

Southern parts of the country were expected to be hit by weather from blustery showers to severe gales today. Sleet and snow showers were forecast to continue into tomorrow over northern and western areas.