Just in time for the Monday rush hour, up to 4in of snow

Around 10cm of snow is expected to fall on higher ground and about 3cm in lower-lying areas from Sunday night.

The Met Office warned commuters to expect disruption on Monday morning and said the public should brace themselves for plunging temperatures.

Forecasters issued a yellow weather warning for most of the country for Sunday and Monday, urging the public to be aware that wintry conditions were on the way.

Snow is expected to fall in the Highlands, Grampian, Tayside and Fife, and there are likely to be wintry showers throughout the central belt on Sunday night and during Monday.

The lower temperatures will arrive after it emerged yesterday that last month was the warmest November in Scotland since records began more than 100 years ago.

In Scotland the mean temperature for November was 7.7C, against the previous record of 7.5C set in 1994. The daytime average of 10.5C in November was 3.2C higher than normal.

Met Office spokeswoman Sarah Holland said: “Conditions are turning colder and rain showers will turn increasingly wintry on Sunday.

“We will see snow at lower levels on Sunday and into Monday, which could lead to some disruption for people travelling to work.

“We’ve had a very mild November, so this is going to be a stark change and people need to be prepared.”

It also emerged yesterday that the autumn period from September to the end of November was the second-warmest on record.

The unseasonal warm autumn conditions made for difficult trading for some leading retailers, while others reported record sales of summer products such as barbecues.

B&Q said it sold as many pieces of the outdoor cooking equipment in the last week of September as it did in the whole of June.

Meanwhile, road bosses said the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll would re-open today following a landslide on Thursday, but only during daylight hours.

A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “Public safety remains our main priority and we appreciate the patience shown by those affected since the road closure.

“Work to clear around 120 tonnes of mud and boulders has concluded and the road surface and drainage systems have now been cleaned.

“Given the need to closely monitor hillside conditions, which can only be conducted during daylight hours, coupled with the Met Office forecast for rainfall and changeable conditions until Tuesday, road authority partners have concluded the A83 should open during daylight hours only.”

He said the road would close at 4pm, with earlier diversions being re-introduced after dark.

The situation will be reviewed on Tuesday.