Snow warning issued as mercury plummets

A yellow severe weather warning has been issued across most of mainland Scotland, as temperatures plummet below zero.

Parts of Scotland will be colder than the Himalayas and the Alps as biting polar air turns rain to snow across the country.

Temperatures were forecast to drop well below freezing across Courier Country last night, with snow expected to come later today.

People face a frosty start to the day, causing Met Office experts to warn motorists of possible difficult driving conditions.

The winter weather will turn for the worse throughout today, resulting in the yellow warning.

Rain is expected to turn to snow in hilly areas of Scotland and England, with accumulations of up to eight centimetres in some areas.

In higher locations, between 300 and 400m, as much as 15cm could fall.

Overnight into tomorrow morning, the snow will peter out across Scotland, with the focus of the polar air moving into northern England.

Emma Sharples, meteorologist at the Met Office, said this would be the first significant snow for Scotland this year.

“There’s a yellow weather warning for snow that’s been issued from midday on Tuesday,” she said.

“We have a weather front that’s moving in from the west from the Atlantic and it’s colliding with cold air which will bring the snow.”

She added: “A lot of places will go below freezing, even towns and cities will probably be just about hovering between 0C (32F) and 1C (34F).

“Even at heights of around 300 metres and at low levels the snow is likely to cause some traffic disruption.

The freezing weather will last throughout most of the week, but will make way to wet and windy weather on Friday and Saturday as temperatures rise to between 10C and 14C.

Ms Sharples said: “We will see a slight change as we go towards the end of the week.

“Less cold than it is at the moment, but probably still a little bit below average for the time of the year.”

The experts’ prediction that most areas of Scotland will be affected by flurries of snow throughout today and tomorrow comes at the end of what has so far been a mainly mild and dry autumn.

Alotof places will go below freezing, even towns and cities. METEOROLOGIST EMMA SHARPLES

Picture: Kim Cessford. Snow has already fallen on the Cairngorm mountains behind the Angus glens.