Winter’s back... with snow and gales

WHAT a difference a day can make when it comes to Scotland’s topsy-turvy weather.

Having basked in glorious sunshine for several weeks, much of the country is now braced for a late wintry blast.

Forecasters have warned Scots they can expect snow and sleet storms, 50mph gales as well as sub-zero temperatures in the coming days.

Indeed, the mercury is likely to struggle to rise beyond -5c in many glens and rural areas as a cold northerly air stream from Norway and Iceland sweeps in to cause a sudden change in conditions.

Last night, some towns and villages saw temperatures almost halve in a matter of hours. Met Office weather forecaster Helen Roberts said: ‘An Arctic northerly air mass from the area to the east of Iceland will bring a noticeable change in temperatures from Saturday as it pushes over the country.

She also warned: ‘Snow could fall in the far north of Scotland from Friday night, then from Saturday to Tuesday in Scotland in general on hills and even to low levels at times.

‘It will be windy for Scotland on Monday and Tuesday with gale-force 50mph gusts in NorthWest Scotland.’

Meanwhile, Weather Channel forecaster Kirsty McCabe summed up the plight of many workers, who saw the country sizzle during their working week – but will now have to endure a wet, cold and miserable weekend during their leisure time.

She asked the question on many people’s minds when she said: ‘Who keeps making it warm and sunny in midweek but cool and wet at weekends?’

Scotland has basked in sunshine for most of April with temperatures in most areas hovering around a balmy 70f (21.1c), almost 11c above the average for this time of the year.

The village of Drumnadrochit, in Invernessshire, recorded an impressive 21.2c, on Wednesday – a figure not reached until April 28 last year and May 7 in 2013, according to the Met Office.