Mild weather to follow wintry conditions

THE cold snap which brought snow and icy conditions across swaths of northern Scotland is expected to give way to milder conditions.

There could be snowfall in parts of Scotland this weekend. Picture: Ian Rutherford

Heavy snow showers in Aberdeenshire led to key road routes being closed off in the early hours of yesterday.

With temperatures plummeting to -5C in parts of the country, the Met Office issued weather warnings for snow and ice, with Traffic Scotland urging drivers to be aware of difficult conditions.

However, a flurry of early wintry showers early this morning is expected to give way as a return of milder air from the Atlantic cuts off, bringing the Arctic chill to an end.

A spokesman for the Met

Office said: “It will still be cold but perhaps not as cold as it felt on Saturday because the winds will be just that little bit lighter.”

The beginning of the week will see scattered, at times blustery, showers across the country, with spells of sunshine over the east coast.

Although strong to gale force winds are expected in the Highlands and Western Isles, there are no weather warnings in place.

Meanwhile, bookmaker Ladbrokes have slashed the odds of temperatures plummeting to record lows later this month, offering 3/1 that a temperature of less than -10.5 degrees is recorded. Those odds stood at 10/1 before this weekend.