Scotland's weather: Coldest night of the year recorded in Scotland, with amber snow and 'thundersnow' warning issued

The UK as a whole recorded the coldest night of the year with freezing temperatures and snow forecast for much of the rest of the week.

Lows of minus 8.7C were recorded in Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, minus 8.4C in Katesbridge in County Down, Northern Ireland, and minus 7.7C in Sennybridge in Powys, Wales.

An amber warning for snow in northern Scotland has been issued by the Met Office for between 3pm and 11.59pm on Tuesday.

Lows of minus 8.7C were recorded in Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, minus 8.4C in Katesbridge in County Down, Northern Ireland, and minus 7.7C in Sennybridge in Powys, Wales.

Forecasters are predicting up to 20cm of snow in a short space of time across Aberdeenshire and the Highlands, while 15cm of snow could fall in mountainous parts of North Wales.

A Met Office yellow warning for ice across much of the UK and Scotland is in place, with snow and ice forecast for northern Scotland, with an amber warning for snow issued for parts of Perth and Kinross, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray and the Highlands.

The amber warning is in place from 3pm until midnight. Another yellow weather warning for snow and ice is in place until 9am on Wednesday.

The warning reads: “Accumulations of 10 to 15 cm are possible in places in a short space of time and snow will be drifting in the strong to gale force north to northwesterly winds.”

As well as snow, thunderstorms are also possible as part of the amber snow warning.

"Isolated thunderstorms are possible with lightning strikes an additional hazard. Showers will turn more to rain or sleet around coasts later with ice developing on untreated surfaces.”

Thundersnow occurs when the air closest to the ground is warm enough to rise and form a thunderstorm, but still cool enough that it’s able to freeze into snow.

According to the Met Office, thundersnow is formed when thunderstorms “give rise to heavy downpours of snow” in wintry conditions.

“This, along with the usual thunder and lightning, is called 'thundersnow',” it added.

The Met Office recorded the coldest night of last year on the night of December 12-13 when temperatures plunged to -15.7C in Braemer, Aberdeenshire, during a cold snap.