The Met Office has issued several weather warnings across the country as Scots are warned to brace for chilly conditions and snow.
Weather maps reveal a 450-mile ice-bomb is set to hit Scotland on New Years Day causing havoc across the country. A yellow warning is currently in place for snow and ice covering the north, northeast, western isles and the Highlands and Islands.
The alert began at 4am on Wednesday morning, and is in place until 10am on Thursday morning. With areas such as Aberdeen, Inverness, Ullapool and Stornoway among the worst hit. Forecasters warned that 1-3cm of snowfall is expected at low levels with 5-10cm likely for level above 300m, causing issues for drivers and transport.
The second yellow warning for ice covers the rest of Scotland and began at around 4pm this afternoon and will also last until 10am on Thursday. The second warning could cause icy patches on untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths, which could cause distruption to rail and road travel.
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The icy conditions will also bring freezing temperatures in the next few days. In some areas in the Highlands, mercury levels could fall as low as -9C, with lows of -7C in Inverness and -5C in Fort William.
Temperatures are expected to rise slightly in the east cost, with mercury level staying around 0C in Aberdeen and Dundee. Temperatures in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Lanarkshire will range from -1C to -4C.
The whole of Scotland is now under a yellow weather warning with snow setting in for most of the north
(Image: Met Office)
The south of Scotland will see lows of -5C in some areas around Sanquhar and around -2C in Dumfries and Galloway. The Met Office warning states: “A band of rain, sleet and hill snow will clear southwards during Wednesday afternoon and evening.
“As skies clear in its wake, and with standing water following earlier rain in places, ice is likely to form quite quickly on untreated surfaces, leading to difficult travel conditions. “Wintry showers are also likely along some north-facing coasts overnight, increasing the chance of ice in places.”
It comes as New Year’s Eve celebrations in Edinburgh were cancelled due to ‘safety reasons’ with extreme weather forecast set to hit Scotland over the next few days. Organisers Unique Assembly said high winds and more predicted “inclement” weather had forced them to scrap all outdoor events for New Year. The Concert in the Gardens with headliners Texas has also been cancelled by the organisers.
The Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGORR) has also been activated in response to the weather warning. The Torchlight Procession as part of the Hogmanay events also had to be cancelled to high winds. Edinburgh Council Leader Jane Meagher said the decision to cancel the events was “not taken lightly”.
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