Weather in Scotland: Met Office issues weather warning for snow and ice

Scotland faces yet more snow and icy conditions in the run-up to New Year’s Eve, forecasters say.

Much of the north of the country – where temperatures have plunged as low as minus 7.7C – is covered by a weather warning for snow and ice from 3pm until just before midnight on Wednesday.

Temperatures will plummet quickly to below freezing overnight, and could reach minus 10C in the glens of Scotland, according to the Met Office.

Fresh warnings for snow have been issued for Wednesday, with the potential to cause rail and road closures, power cuts, and injuries.

The disruption could also hit supermarket delivery drivers and haulage firms, with both Sainsbury’s and Tesco already having to cancel shopping orders as several centimetres of snow settled across parts of the UK.

The frosty spell will continue into the new year for other parts of the UK, with further snow and ice forecast to bring hazardous driving conditions to much of the country.

Wintry showers falling as rain, sleet and snow are predicted for parts of the UK throughout Tuesday evening, with north-west England and North Wales covered by a weather warning for ice from 6pm, the Met Office said.

From 10am on Wednesday until 6am on Thursday, much of southern England and London is covered by a snow and ice warning; while from 6pm a warning for snow kicks in for much of the Midlands and north-east England and eastern Scotland, lasting until 2pm on Thursday.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said any lying snow for southern counties could be “disruptive and impactful”, adding: “We could still see a few centimetres building up. These areas don’t usually see that much snow.”

The Met Office forecasts between 2-5cm of snow could lie, with up to 15cm possible in higher areas but the extent is “very uncertain”.

Coastal areas in northern parts will see the worst of the showers, and may also get hail and thunder, he added.

Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: “There is then a risk of further snow moving south across Scotland, northern England and the Midlands on Thursday.”

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