Blizzards from Iceland are heading this way
And the Beauly Firth is already frozen
SCOTLAND is bracing itself for whiteout conditions next week, with gale-force winds set to sweep heavy snow across the country. Some communities have been told to expect power cuts due to lightning strikes, which are expected to hit north and west Scotland over a 30-hour period. It’s a return to the weather of New Year, when Storms Dylan and Eleanor arrived within days of each other. Yet parts of the Highlands have remained ice-bound since before Christmas and yesterday images emerged of the Beauly Firth freezing at Muir of Ord. Grahame Madge of the Met Office said: “Atlantic weather systems have begun to push high pressure sitting over Scotland out of the way. This will result in a significant change in the weather next week.
“We will be dominated by Polar Maritime Air, feeding down from Greenland and Iceland.”
The yellow “be aware” warning for severe weather begins at about 6pm on Monday and lasts for 30 hours.
As much as four inches of snow is forecast for higher ground, leading to blizzard conditions as drifts are blown around by strong winds.
It’s possible two inches will fall at low levels but this will be accompanied by hail, thunder and lightning, particularly in the west of the country.
Areas affected include Central, Tayside, Fife, Grampian, Highlands and Islands, Orkney and Shetland, south west Scotland, Lothian and Borders and Strathclyde. Transport disruption is likely and lightning could lead to power outages.
Yesterday, images emerged of the Beauly Firth freezing over as it came ashore at Muir of Ord, on the Black Isle near Inverness.
Gardener Lynda MacLeod, 51, said: “It was -6C here. We have not been above freezing since the week before Christmas.
“This is the first time I have seen the Firth freezing since the bad winter of 2010.”
Madge added: “Places like Inverness have been closest to the centre of the high pressure which has been around recently.
“This would help make it one of the coldest places in the UK during that period.”