The Met Office has extended a yellow weather warning for ice to cover the whole of Scotland. The warning begins at 4pm on New Year’s Day and ends at 10am on Thursday.
It covers the west coast and south of Scotland, as well as the north east of England and as far south as Birmingham. The new warning is in addition to a yellow weather warning for snow and ice, which covers the Highlands and Grampian regions.
Flood warnings from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) have been downgraded, with 21 still in force at 12noon on January 1 – reduced from 32 around 7.30am. In addition, nine regional flood alerts remain.
The Met Office warned of “icy surfaces leading to some difficult travel conditions” with the new warning. Northern Scotland is expected to be hit with snow on New Year’s Day, including Inverness, Aberdeenshire and Caithness and Sutherland in the Highlands and Moray.
READ MORE: Angus Robertson defends ‘correct’ decision to cancel Edinburgh’s Hogmanay party
The Met Office yellow weather warning for snow runs from 4am on Wednesday until 9am on Thursday. Regions above 984ft (300m) could see as much as 4in (10cm) of snow, it is predicted.
Snow and ice
- Aberdeen
- Aberdeenshire
- Moray
- Na h-Eileanan Siar
- Highland
- Orkney Islands
- Shetland Islands
The whole of Scotland is now under a yellow weather warning with snow setting in for most of the north
(Image: Met Office)
Ice
- Angus
- Clackmannanshire
- Dundee
- Falkirk
- Fife
- Perth and Kinross
- Stirling
- Aberdeenshire
- Moray
- Na h-Eileanan Siar
- Highland
- Dumfries and Galloway
- East Lothian
- Edinburgh
- Midlothian
- Scottish Borders
- West Lothian
- Argyll and Bute
- East Ayrshire
- East Dunbartonshire
- East Renfrewshire
- Glasgow
- Inverclyde
- North Ayrshire
- North Lanarkshire
- Renfrewshire
- South Ayrshire
- South Lanarkshire
- West Dunbartonshire
The yellow warning for heavy rain and strong winds that covered most of Scotland on New Year’s Eve, causing the outdoor celebrations in Edinburgh to be cancelled, has now been lifted.
The Met Office said: “Rain turning to snow is likely to lead to some travel disruption and difficult driving conditions on New Year’s Day.”
It added: “A band of rain will turn increasingly to snow at low levels as it moves south Wednesday morning, then clearing to snow showers in the afternoon, which will continue overnight and through to Thursday morning.
“1cm-3cm are likely at low levels with 5cm-10cm above 300m, leading to difficult driving conditions and some travel disruption.”
On New Year’s Eve, some parts of Wick in the far north of Scotland were so badly flooded that ScotRail said no rail replacement buses would be running. Trains will resume on January 2, with no services on New Year’s Day.
Never miss the latest top headlines from the Scottish Daily Express. Sign up to our daily newsletter here.