Scotland battens down the hatches as Doris moves in

Warnings in place as Met Office says ferocious storm could bring gales and up to 15cm of snow in some areas

Scotland was last night bracing itself for blizzard conditions and widespread disruption as the country’s first major winter weather front for two months sweeps in.

Amber warnings were in force for Tayside and Fife, parts of the central belt, the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway ahead of the arrival of Storm Doris, which is due to bring gales, snow and rain.

The Met Office initially warned that the worst of the weather would hit England, with yellow “be aware” warnings in place for Scotland, but that was upgraded to an amber “be prepared” warning for many areas.

The army also confirmed it was on standby to help tackle any disruption as forecasters warned that Doris could cause travel delays, road and rail closures and power cuts and has the potential to cause risk to life and property.

Up to 15cm of snow is expected to fall “quite widely”, with accumulations of 30cm potentially falling on hills above 300 metres, although snow to lower levels is also anticipated this morning.

With Doris arriving from the Atlantic, the strongest winds are forecast across England but there could be gusts of 50 to 60mph across southern and eastern Scotland.

The Met Office said: “As Storm Doris moves eastwards across central parts of the UK on Thursday, a spell of heavy snow is expected on its northern flank.

“There is some uncertainty over the track of Doris and, therefore, over the extent of snowfall, but confidence is now higher for disruptive snow to affect the amber area.”

The severe weather will be seen as a shock to the system for many after a mild spell of late, with the last named storm – Storm Conor – coming on Boxing Day.

The north of the country was worst affected on that occasion, although more southern areas of Scotland are at greater risk of disruption this time.

Police urged motorists to consider whether their journey was absolutely necessary as Storm Doris tracks its way eastwards, and urged people to plan ahead.

Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said: “We have more gritters available across the trunk roads this year than ever before and these will be out with patrols across the night and into Thursday morning and beyond.”

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “Our armed forces are ready, should they be needed, to support local authorities in responding to adverse weather.”

There is some uncertainty over the track of Doris but confidence is high for disruptive snow. MET OFFICE