The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Warning of heavy snow could reach red alert
People advised not to travel in Tayside and Fife as disruption likely to be widespread
All school transport is cancelled and residents are advised not to travel today and tomorrow as the region is expected to be in the grip of severe conditions.
Courier country is expected to wake up in the grip of severe weather, with a warning to avoid travel this morning.
Tayside and Fife fall under an amber warning, the second-highest the Met Office issues, and people have been advised against making journeys today and tomorrow.
The alert could be raised in some parts to red for the first time in Scotland.
Transport Minister Humza Yousaf warned travel could be dangerous and said businesses had been urged to allow flexible working where possible.
Scotrail has cancelled several services between Glenrothes and Edinburgh and Dundee and Carnoustie and Arbroath, and altered others.
The amber alert covering Tayside and Fife runs from 6am today to 6pm on Thursday.
Blizzards and heavy snow arrived in many parts of the region last night, with tricky conditions on the roads in Fife.
Several accidents were reported, including on the A92 between Lochgelly and Cowdenbeath, and on the M90 between the Cocklaw and Halbeath junctions.
Traffic came to a standstill on the A92 near Freuchie, where it was understood a lorry was stuck, with similar problems in Glenrothes.
In Angus no school transport contracts will operate today.
Forecasters have predicted up to 16 inches of snow in the worst-affected parts.
Mr Yousaf said: “The Met Office is telling us that we’re going to see some extremely challenging conditions over the next few days, so I’d urge people follow police advice and to avoid travel in the areas affected by the amber snow warnings.
“Consider if you need to make your journey. If you do set out, you are likely to face disruption and could potentially be stranded, so make sure you are properly prepared with a winter kit, warm clothing, food and drink.
“The police do not issue advice like this lightly.
“We are currently sitting at the highest category of amber warning, with the possibility of conditions getting worse, so I’d urge people to heed this advice.”
Police Scotland has advised against all but essential travel, and urged those who do venture out to ensure they are prepared with warm clothing, food, drink and a charged mobile phone. Head of road policing Chief Superintendent Stewart Carle said: “We would urge people who live or intend to visit the regions within the amber warning area to avoid travelling on the roads unless absolutely necessary.
“If you do choose to travel in the amber warning area, you are likely to face a high level of disruption on the roads networks with significant delays or even be stranded on the higher and more exposed routes.”
The impending winter doom to be wrought by the horribly tabloid ‘Beast from the East’ got me thinking about how fragile we’ve become as a nation. The merest hint of winter and we’re advised to batten down the hatches and hibernate until the latest ‘Snowmageddon’ passes through.
Trains come to a standstill, buses stop running, planes are grounded and many roads are only passable with the greatest of care.
And vital services are decimated. But why?
Is a snowstorm in winter really such an extraordinary event?
Is it really acceptable for the country to grind to a halt – both socially and economically – as a result?
Other countries that more regularly deal with extraordinary weather events seem to cope better than we do.
I travelled to Norway recently and I got the distinct impression that being snowed in at home was unlikely to wash as an excuse for not turning up to work.
And I have friends and family in Canada who report a similar attitude there, even when the weather outside is truly frightful, as it has been in recent weeks.
Perhaps it is a matter of attitude and preparation.
In Norway I spent the best part of two days touring about in a car. There was snow lying at the roadside and frozen lakes dotted across the landscape but not a single roadway – or even section – was ungritted or out of commission and our ferry ran to time.
Private citizens also took personal responsibility by having shovels and snow chains available or full winter tyres on their cars.
It was a matter of course and made the act of coping with bad weather so much simpler for everyone.
But why does it matter if we all hunker down in our cosy homes to ride out the worst of the storm?
After all, snowball fights, sledging and making snowmen with the kids is undoubtedly an attractive alternative to sitting at a desk for hours on end.
But during the last big freeze in 2010, UK output took a battering – with the final quarter of the year seeing a 0.5% contraction against an anticipated flat performance in normal conditions.
At the time, conservative estimates put the cost of the bad weather to the UK at £1bn per day. The cost of a less severe winter spell was put at around £470 million per day.
Costs will spiral again this week as ‘The Beast’ takes it toll. But when the thaw comes, perhaps we should all look at how prepared we are for what is an all-too-foreseeable eventuality.