FIELDS OF COLD
Snow and ice alert as country braces for more bad weather
Paul Drury Scotland is set to o remain in winter’s s grip for the next few days before milder air wafts in on Wednesday night.
Snow and ice warnings have been posted for much h of the western half of the he country and Orkney and Shetland until 11am today. y.
Up to 4in of snow could fall on higher spots but even low--lying areas in the warning zone could see an inch-and-a-half.
In addition, last night may have been the coldest night of the year so far, with weathermen predicting –10C to –12C where snow was lying around Braemar in Aberdeenshire.
The lowest temperature recorded so far in 2021 was the bone- chilling –12.3C at Loch Glascarnoch, near Ullapool, on January 6.
Forecaster Martin Bowles, of the Met Off ice, said: “It’s staying cold for Scotland until Wednesday night , when milder air arrives from the south-west.
“This is not to say the snow and ice has gone for the winter. This is potentially a brief spell that may last until next Saturday.”
The north- west saw the heaviest snowfall yesterday morning, with about 4in settling by morning.
Suzanne Aitken walked along the A832 at Achanalt in picture-postcard conditions to catch the bus into Inverness.
She said: “I usually cycle to the station and catch the train into Inverness but, as the bus stop is closer, I decided to just walk along and get the bus.
“It’s just a small minibus and the drivers here are good at driving in the snow.”
A couple of inches of snow was lying on the A832 on the 16-mile stretch from Garve to Achnasheen.
Gritters were out but were struggling to keep the road clear.
The Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh train also battled through several inches of snow on the line.
North East Police used its Twitter account to warn drivers that the A98 between Fochabers and Buckie was “still particularly icy” just before lunch time.
For most of January, daytime temperatures in Scotland have been 2C below the monthly average.
Cold conditions dominate the long-range forecast for the next four weeks. A northerly wind will bring increased risk of snow.
The forecast adds: “Through mid-February higher pressure may develop for a time, which would bring drier conditions with an increased likelihood of fog and cold, frosty nights.”