Cold snap set to continue across Courier country as mercury falls

Town sees temperature drop to -7C.. .and there is no let-up in sight throughout this week

Weather forecasters have warned Tayside and Fife residents to brace themselves for a full winter blast this week.

Temperatures plunged to below -7C yesterday as bitterly cold winds, frost and ice were experienced across the region, causing some disruption for commuters.

The Tay Road Bridge issued a cold weather warning in the early hours of the morning, hours after it highlighted concerns over adverse weather conditions caused by dense fog.

On the Forth Road Bridge, exactly 58 years after construction on the crossing first started, speed restrictions were imposed throughout the day due to poor visibility.

Kinross recorded one of the coldest temperatures, -7C, while Perth, Kirkcaldy and Dundee sat on around -6C.

The Met Office predicted thickening cloud across Tayside and Fife into this morning, with strengthening winds and coastal gales.

Grahame Madge, spokesman for the Met Office, told The Courier things were expected to change in the coming days.

“We have had a pool of very cold air sitting over Scotland with snow glare, freezing fog and clear skies all factors in keeping temperatures suppressed.

“Later (on Monday) we are seeing a low pressure system move up from south England, which has caused a lot of rain that will be moving north.

“There will be increasing cloud cover from midnight today.

“On Tuesday there will be some precipitation with rain and snow above 250 metres or so.”

Mr Madge added: “It will be ended by a period of high pressure following the movement of the low pressure. Conditions will change a bit. Increasingly in the day, conditions will be bright and clear but overnight, with the clear skies, we expect those temperatures to drop. “They have been very cold overnight.” Gales and strong winds are expected to last throughout today, mixed with rain and hill snow in the morning.

Things will settle on Wednesday, with the winds dying back down and some sunny spells.

Cloud will again increase on Thursday and Friday.

A report published earlier this month by the Met Office suggests the probability of a cold start to winter is more likely than in previous years.

The outlook shifts towards lower temperatures – with an overall chance of the UK experiencing temperatures in the ‘cold’ category being 30% – one-anda-half times the usual risk.

The outlook will be updated within a few weeks to show what sort of conditions might be expected in December.

Picture: Kris Miller A hard frost remained on the ground at Dundee’s Baxter Park yesterday.

Picture: PA. Things could be worse: A biker ventures through deep flood water in Broadclyst, Devon, where rivers have burst their banks and closed the main roads south of the village.