Scotland snow forecast: latest areas affected as Met Office issues weather warnings - including Glasgow, Edinburgh and Perth

Amber and yellow warnings are in place for the weekend and into early next week
Scotland has experienced snowfall since the beginning of the year (Getty Images)Scotland has experienced snowfall since the beginning of the year (Getty Images)
Scotland has experienced snowfall since the beginning of the year (Getty Images)

Scotland will continue to be battered by wintry weather conditions this weekend and into early next week.

Yellow and amber warnings for heavy snow have been issued by the Met Office leading up to, and during, Saturday and Sunday.

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The cold air causing the drop in temperatures is coming from Scandinavia, the forecaster said.

The country has already experienced heavy snow and icy conditions since the start of the year, causing major travel chaos.

Here’s everything you need to know about the latest weather warning.

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Which areas are affected?

The amber alert for snow is in place for large swathes of the country.

This level of weather warning means a high chance of travel disruption, possible power cuts and potential risk to life.

There is also a risk that communities could be cut off for a few days, and there could be long interruptions to power, gas and water supplies, as well as disruptions to mobile phone signal.

The warning is in place from 3pm on Thursday (4 February) to 6am on Saturday (6 February).

Heavy snow is predicted to hit the following areas: Angus, Perth and Kinross, Stirling, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, the Highlands and Argyll and Bute.

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The Met Office said places facing the amber warning could see up to 15cm of snow at low levels, and up to 50cm of snow could fall on high ground by Saturday morning.

The forecaster predicted: “Snow is expected to become more widespread, persistent and heavy from Thursday afternoon and continue through to Saturday.”

Persistent snow should ease on Saturday, but snow showers will follow, the Met Office said.

Some places on the east coast of Scotland might only experience small amounts of snow. However, strong winds could lead to blizzard conditions and even ice forming on power lines.

A yellow warning for snow has also been issued for Thursday (4 February) to 12pm on Saturday (6 February), which covers the areas of Central, Tayside and Fife, Grampian, the Highlands and Strathclyde.

Snow could hit areas including Angus, Dundee, Falkirk, Perth, Aberdeen, Moray and West Dunbartonshire. The full list of areas affected can be found on the Met Office website.

A separate yellow warning for snow and ice has been issued for 12pm on Saturday (6 February) to midnight on Sunday (7 February).

That covers most of the country, including Central, Tayside and Fife, Grampian, the Highlands, south west Scotland, Lothian Borders and Strathclyde.

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Icy conditions could affect all of Scotland’s cities, including Dundee, Perth, Stirling, Aberdeen, Inverness, Edinburgh and Glasgow. The full list can be found here.

The adverse weather will stay in place until early next week, as an additional yellow warning for snow and ice has been issued for the whole of Monday (8 February).

That affects the Grampian, Highlands, Central, Tayside and Fife, south west Scotland, Lothian Borders and Strathclyde areas.

Places affected include Dundee, Perth, Stirling, Aberdeen, Inverness, Edinburgh, and Glasgow.

The forecaster has told people in yellow warning areas to expect power cuts and disruption to phone signal, and there is also a small chance of interruptions to power supplies and utilities services.

Could there be travel disruption?

The adverse weather could cause “significant” travel disruption in Scotland, according to the Met Office, especially in places with an amber warning.

That includes long delays and cancellations on bus, rail and plane services.

Roads may also become blocked by deep snow, potentially stranding vehicles and passengers.

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Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Frank Saunders, warned about possible travel disruptions.

He said: “Further spells of snow will continue to affect parts of northern England and Scotland during Wednesday and Thursday.

“There could be continued travel disruption across northern trans-Pennine routes and the higher roads across the Southern Uplands and Grampians.”

And Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Mark Sidaway, said that “very large accumulations” of snow could fall in the higher parts of the country.

He said: “Into the weekend snow will continue across much of Scotland.

“We are likely to see some very large accumulations across higher parts of Scotland especially, with strong winds leading to significant drifting and blizzard conditions at times.”