All go for the first snow

Weather: FlurriestoraisehopesofwhiteChristmasbut‘it’stoosoontotell’

The first significant snowfall of the season was expected to hit parts of Scotland last night – and could cause disruption for today’s morning commute.

Forecasters predicted a few centimetres of snow just north of Glasgow and Edinburgh, and warned it could affect roads and transport services during this morning’s rush hour.

However, the north of Scotland should avoid the brunt of the cold snap, at least for the next week.

The Met Office forecast anticipates clouds and some rain with an average temperature of 7C today, with more cloud and rain, but slightly warmer temperatures, for the following two days.

There are no severe flood warnings or any other kind of weather warnings for the region for the foreseeable future.

Met Office forecaster Helen Roberts said yes- terday: “There are a few batches of snow possible in Scotland. The first one is through Sunday evening and overnight, with a few centimetres of lying snow by the end of the night. It’s fairly standard stuff for this time of year and we’re not anticipating putting any weather warnings out.”

The rest of the UK should escape the wintry weather, but could have heavy rain instead. The Met Office predicts a changeable and unsettled picture for the coming week, with a particularly wet and windy day across the UK on Thursday.

While the first snow could raise hopes of a white Christmas this year, experts say it is too early to tell.

Bookies slashed the odds last week, with Ladbrokes offering 4/5 that snow falls on December 25.

The bookmakers also regard Aberdeen as the city with the best chance of a glimpse of the white stuff, with odds of 7/4 offered.

WINTER’S HERE: Snow is predicted to cause some disruption on roads, but is ‘fairly standard’ for the time of year