Winter wonderland brings M8 to a halt with further snow on the way
A gritter clears a bus route as snow causes traffic jams on the M8 in West Lothian yesterday. A Met Office severe weather amber warning, including for gale-force winds, was in force overnight, and a series of yellow alerts for further snowfall over much o
Scotland faces gales gusting up to 80mph tonight, while snow warnings have been extended to Friday.
The grim outlook came after the most widespread snow of the year caused havoc for commuters and caused many schools to close.
Up to 25cm was expected to fall on higher ground and up to 10cm at lower levels by this morning.
A Met Office severe weather amber warning was in force until 8am today, and a series of yellow alerts for further snowfall over much of Scotland will continue until late on Friday.
A separate yellow wind warning has also been issued for the southern half of the country and the rest of the UK.
A Met Office spokeswoman said there would be gusts of 60mph-70mph “quite widely” and “a small chance of winds reaching 80mph in places”.
The warning will be in force from 9pm tonight until 11am tomorrow.
She said: “Very strong winds will affect parts of the UK during Wednesday night and into Thursday. The strongest winds are expected to transfer eastwards across the warning area before clearing by early afternoon.
“Road, rail and ferry services may be affected, with longer journey times and cancellations.
“There is also a possibility that some bridges may close.
“Power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services such as mobile phone coverage.
“Injuries and danger to life from flying debris are possible, along with some damage to buildings.
“In addition, large waves are expected to affect some western coasts with beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties.
“The location of the most damaging winds is currently uncertain, although parts of northern and eastern England along with southern Scotland currently look more at risk.
“Along with the strong winds, a spell of heavy rain can also be expected, which could also be combined with a temporary thaw of lying snow in the north.”
There were several minor road collisions in the Highlands and Strathclyde yesterday as motorists faced treacherous driving conditions and gritters were out in force.
Tulloch Bridge near Fort William had among the largest snowfalls, with 8cm.
Drivers were urged to avoid the M8 after long delays during morning rush hour.
Snow and sleet affected many main roads including the A9, M9, M80, A720, M77, A7 and M73.
The A9 at Dalwhinnie was closed for two hours after a lorry jack-knifed close to the snow gates.
In Edinburgh, a driver escaped unhurt after their car skidded off Hermitage Drive and ended up on top of a street sign in Hermitage of Braid.
More than 50 schools and nurseries in the Highlands were closed due to the weather, with more than 3,000 children enjoying a snow day.
Schools in South Lanarkshire and Dumfries and Galloway were also affected.
The Met Office said a further 10cm of snow at low levels and 20cm on high ground could fall tomorrow and on Friday.
Chief Superintendent Stewart Carle, head of road policing for Police Scotland, said: “Winter driving is a question of common sense and drivers should ask themselves if they really need to travel when conditions are poor.”
“Injuries and danger to life from flying debris are possible, along with some damage to buildings”
MET OFFICE SPOKESWOMAN