Scotland ice warning for 3rd night in a row ahead of weekend snowfall

Drivers and pedestrians face treacherous roads and pavements for a third consecutive night with another ice warning - followed by snow from Sunday and even colder conditions next week

The yellow extreme weather alert for the whole of Scotland will be in force from 4pm on Friday to 10am on Saturday - a day before an 18-hour snow warning across much of Scotland.

Snowy Campsie Fells from Castlemilk in Glasgow on Thursday | John Devlin/The Scotsman

Meanwhile, a separate yellow level snow warning for northern England and parts of Wales on Saturday night has been upgraded to amber, with 30-40cm of snowfall possible.

Temperatures are forecast to dip to 0C in Edinburgh and Glasgow on Friday night, -2C in Dundee and Inverness, -3C in Galashiels, -4C in Aberdeen and Aviemore and -9C at Strathdon in Aberdeenshire.

The Met Office said: “Temperatures will again fall widely below freezing during Friday evening.

“This will allow ice to readily form on untreated surfaces, particularly where roads and pavements remain wet from wintry showers.

“Scattered showers will fall as a mixture of rain, sleet and snow.

“Most areas are unlikely to see any fresh accumulations of snow, though a slight covering is possible in places, especially over parts of northern Scotland.”

Ice-covered cars and streets in Glasgow on Friday morning | Alastair Dalton/The Scotsman

The forecaster said the amber warning for snow south of the Border would be in force from 6pm on Saturday in the Midlands and Wales, and 9pm in northern England, lasting until noon on Sunday.

It said: “Snow will accumulate through the evening and into Sunday before turning to rain in central and southern areas of England.

“It will continue to fall as snow in northern England, where some significant accumulations could develop through Sunday.

“Whilst there is some uncertainty in details, 3-7cm of snow is likely for much of the warning area, with locally 15-30cm for the higher ground of Wales and the southern Pennines.

“As the snow turns to rain further south, and especially over Wales, there is a risk of freezing rain, a dangerous weather phenomenon which sees rain freezing instantly when it reaches the surface, causing dangerous icy conditions.”

The Sunday snow warning for Scotland will last until noon on Monday, covering all of Scotland apart from the north west Highlands, Caithness, north east Aberdeenshire, Orkney, Shetland and the Hebrides.

The Met Office said: “Outbreaks of snow will likely develop during Sunday and Sunday night, potentially giving some significant accumulations in places.

“The greatest risk is in southern and eastern Scotland, where 2-5cm may accumulate in quite a few places and perhaps as much as 10-20cm over high ground.”

The forecaster said it was expected to get even colder next week.

Deputy Chief Forecaster Dan Holley said: “The system bringing this weekend’s snow will move away to the east by Monday, allowing a cold a northerly flow to become established again for much of next week.

“This will bring further snow showers to northern Scotland in particular, but possibly to some other areas, especially near western coasts, with a fair amount of dry and bright weather elsewhere.

“Temperatures will remain below average, with widespread frost and the risk of ice at times.

“Some areas, especially in the north, may struggle to get above freezing for several days.

“It is possible further weather warnings will be issued for the start of next week.”