Make it stop! 17th severe weather alert in 21 days
Frozen in time, winter’s ref lected glory
SCOTS have been warned to brace themselves for another onslaught of ice and snow today – the 17th severe weather warning in less than a month.
Every region bar the far west tip of the country has been put on yellow alert by the Met Office following freezing rain overnight, leading to treacherous conditions on the roads and pavements.
It follows one of the coldest days of the year yesterday, when temperatures plummeted to -10C at Loch Glascarnoch, near Garve, in Ross-shire.
The drop in the mercury caused problems at Glasgow Airport, which was forced to halt take-offs and landings yesterday afternoon.
Passengers already in the air were directed to Prestwick and Edinburgh airports, from where they were taken by bus to Glasgow.
Flights ready to take off were ordered to stay on the tarmac, to allow conditions to improve.
The Met Office warning stated yesterday: ‘Ice is expected to form on some surfaces from late afternoon and last overnight into Wednesday morning.
‘The chance of this is highest across parts of Scotland and northern England where rain may fall on to frozen surfaces. A few centimetres of fresh snow are also likely on high ground, mainly across Scotland and northern England.
‘There will probably be icy stretches on untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths, with some injuries possible from slips and falls. There is also a very small chance of travel disruption across parts of Scotland and northern England.’
The weather warning, the 17th since November 22, prompted Traffic Scotland to issue an alert to drivers of ‘freezing rain’ on the A75 between Stranraer and Newton Stewart, both in Wigtownshire. It followed an accident involving two lorries and a car, after which a fire engine sent to the scene ended up in a ditch. The firefighters were unhurt and two casualties in the other vehicles were taken to hospital for checks. The same route was also shut by an accident between Newton Stewart and Glenluce, Wigtownshire.
Elsewhere, a lorry blaze shut the A85 on the shores of Loch Earn at Methven in Perthshire.
Congestion also hit the M9 eastbound before Junction 1a at Kirkliston, West Lothian, because of another crash.
Thirteen schools and nurseries were closed in the Highlands as a result of the weather.
The weather caused travel chaos earlier this week, with 33 flights being cancelled in and out of Glasgow and Edinburgh airports on Monday.
Oli Claydon of the Met Office said the ice and snow warning would remain in place until 11am today. But the chill is set to take hold again tonight, with another ice warning being put in place from 4pm this afternoon until tomorrow.
He said: ‘As we go through Thursday, Scotland will begin to experience milder conditions.
‘Edinburgh and Glasgow will see temperatures of 4C and 5C respectively. It doesn’t sound warm but it’s better than the bitter cold of late.
‘There’s a bit of a blip until Friday, when the wind turns northwesterly again and we return once more to very cold conditions.’