Goodbye snow havoc, hello to a week of gales and heavy rain

● As heavy snow causes hazardous conditions across Scotland, the Met Office warns of further turbulent weather ahead

Scots are being told to prepare for severe gales and heavy rain this week, following a week of heavy snow which brought travel chaos to parts of the country.

The Met Office said that people should not relax their guard as more snow, along with frost and ice, was expected into the early hours of this morning before eventually turning to rain in most parts of Scotland.

Yesterday the country remained in deep freeze as snow, rain and freezing conditions continued to hit after the coldest night in nearly two years.

Saturday night saw the coldest temperature in the UK since -14.1C (6.6F) was recorded at Braemar on 14 February 2016,

A low of -13.5C (7.7F) was recorded overnight in Dalwhinnie in the Highlands.

Heavy snow falls caused travel disruption for many, with roads shut and a number of flights cancelled.

Glasgow Airport had to close its runway for almost an hour yesterday morning to allow it to be cleared of snow.

An Emirates Airlines flight from Dubai to Glasgow was diverted to Newcastle due to snow storms.

Passengers faced some delays as staff dealt with the backlog caused by the runway closure.

Scotrail tweeted that due to the conditions at Dalwhinnie, services between Inverness and Glasgow Queen Street and Inverness and Edinburgh could face delays of up to 70 minutes.

Drifting snow caused hazardous conditions in the Highlands. Officers from Police Scotland shut the A82 near to Glencoe Mountain Resort yesterday afternoon following a two-vehicle crash.

Police said that five people were hurt in the crash, although their injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

Drivers were told to avoid the area, and the snow gates at Glencoe were closed as the weather deteriorated with winds causing drifting snow and white-out conditions, although they were later reopened.

Inspector Jen Valentine said: “We have officers at the scene of the collision and the weather conditions in the area are extremely poor.

“We have closed the A82 whilst we deal with the collision and get those injured off to hospital and I would ask that drivers avoid the area at this time.”

Travel warnings were also in place for drivers on them8, m74, m77 and m80. Police said heavy snowfall across Dumfries and Galloway caused problems on roads including the A75, which was blocked for a short time.

Heavy snow was also affecting the A76, the A701, the A709 and the A713 Castle Douglas-ayr road, where there were a number of accidents.

In Glencoe, people have been told to stay indoors and mountain rescue teams have been called to help with the problems.

Northern Police tweeted: “For those who are @glencoemountain or at homes, hotels and restaurants in the area I would urge them to stay where they are and to stay safe and warm as there will potentially be a significant delay, due to the road conditions, in getting people back out of the area.”

Tulloch Bridge in Inverness-shire saw 31cm of snow by midday yesterday.

On Saturday, police warned snowsports fans heading to the Glencoe Mountain resort and the Nevis range to turn back as car parks were full. They said abandoned cars blocking gritters getting through could be seized.

Traffic Scotland urged drivers to check routes before setting off and carry emergency supplies.

Marco Petangna, a forecaster at the Met Office, said weather conditions across Scotland were about to change from snow to gales and rain.

“Today will see winds across Scotland which are likely to turn to gales in exposed areas tomorrow with stronger winds, severe gales and showers on Wednesday,” he said.

“But temperatures will be around 5C-8C today compared to the freezing conditions we’ve seen. By Wednesday that’ll be at 8C-9C in many areas.

“There has been a fair bit of snow especially on the hills. Tulloch Bridge in Inverness-shire which had already seen 31cm of snow, will also see another 10cm15cm.”

CHANGES “Temperatures will be around 5C-8C today compared to the freezing conditions we’ve seen. By Wednesday that’ll be at 8C-9C in many areas.” MARCO PETANGNA Met Office forecaster