White Friday!
Drivers warned to be careful on slippery roads as winter blasts of snow, ice and winds forecast
SCOTLAND was bracing itself for commuter chaos today following a battering of snow and ice in what was forecast to be the coldest night of the winter so far.
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning urging drivers to beware of slippery conditions on major roads following a dangerous mix of rain and -7C (19F) temperatures.
It the lowest the mercury has fallen this winter, breaking the previous low of -6C (21F) set on November 5.
Parts of the north and west have also been warned to expect snow and 40mph winds, speeding up to 60mph around the Orkney Islands.
The warning follows a day of heavy snow and gale force winds yesterday which left parts of the Cairngorms impassable.
Forecaster Luke Norris, of the Met Office, said: ‘Large parts of the country will wake up to some of the white stuff in the morning. And even though roads may have been gritted, drivers should still be careful as showers overnight could have washed any salt away, leaving ice packs underneath exposed.
‘There will be frequent showers in the north and one to two centimetres of snow, even in low-lying areas. All that will be mixed with high winds around the Moray coast with gusts hitting 30 to 40mph.’
Dramatic pictures of the roads misery yesterday show traffic brought to a standstill by blizzards in the Cairngorms.
But it wasn’t miserable for everyone, with school children enjoying the white stuff with a spot of sledging in the mountain range.
Another dramatic image shows a crashed lorry near Latheron, Caithness.
The HGV was travelling on the A9 when it came off the road and ploughed through a fence yesterday afternoon. Nobody was seriously hurt in the incident.
The wintery weather prompted the Met Office to issue the following warning, expiring at 10am today: ‘Expect some icy patches to form on untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths on Thursday evening and overnight into Friday. There is a risk of slippery surfaces and difficult driving conditions. Snow showers are expected, mainly over higher ground in the north and west.’
It is the second warning issued by the body in 48 hours following an onslaught of wintery weather including snow and rain.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency had also warned of flooding along the Border yesterday, with a deluge of rain causing problems as far north as Glasgow.
Rail problems were occurring at Wick in Caithness, while flooding stopped trains in parts of Northern England and Wales.
And it is expected to get even colder tonight north of the Border, with the mercury plummeting to -8C (17F) followed by a wintery day with sleet and snow tomorrow.
But it is not all bad because the sun is forecast to come out on Sunday, warming temperatures back up, only falling as low as 2C (35F) in the early hours of Monday.
Mr Norris added: ‘There will still be a few showers on Sunday but a high pressure system will mean some sunshine with a general warming pattern towards the end of the day.’
‘Expect some icy patches to form’