An amber weather warning has been issued by the Met Office after heavy snow fell across Scotland's Central Belt overnight.
A yellow alert was already in place, with warnings for travellers to take extra care this morning (December 16). The Met Office said that snow showers are moving across much of the country, with a number of road closures being reported in the early hours.
The new 'amber' warning warning was issued at 3.53am this morning. The Met Office said: "Outbreaks of snow are expected to move eastwards across Scotland on Friday. Snow will initially fall to low levels, with 5 to 10 cm accumulating in places this morning in two to three hours.
READ MORE: Live updates as Amber weather warning issued for Scotland
"From late morning, snow at low levels will turn to sleet or rain, but further snow is likely above 200 metres where up to 20 cm may accumulate by afternoon."
The weather forecaster says tha travel delays on roads are likely, stranding some vehicles and passengers, some delays and cancellations to rail and air travel are likely. It also says there is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off, and Power cuts are likely and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected.
Road maintenance and management firm BEAR Scotland said: "We have gritters out but driving conditions are difficult. Please reduce your speed and take care."
A Yellow warning is still in place covering the early hours of this morning until around 8pm this evening. It comes as forecasters issued a further yellow warning for snow and ice covering the majority of Scotland, Wales, the north of England and the English Midlands from 3am to 9pm on Sunday.
The Met Office says the UK will be swept by snow on Saturday night with the potential for up to 15cm in the north of Scotland.
The freezing weather of the past week has brought chaos to some areas, with power outrages caused by the extreme conditions. Power was last night restored to hundreds of homes in Scotland as engineers made “significant progress” with teams from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution reconnecting about 750 homes and businesses in parts of western mainland Shetland, Voe and Brae.
A “major incident” was declared on Shetland earlier this week as snow and ice accumulated on overhead power lines, causing them to break and leaving thousands without electricity as temperatures plummeted. Currently about 1,700 properties remain without power in the area but SSEN said helicopter surveys and foot patrols have provided engineers with a clear picture of the extent of the damage.
Forecasters say that following the blanket of snow at the weekend, a band of rain and milder air should follow to bring to an end to the cold snap.
Read more: Cairngorms tourists trapped in frozen van thought they may die amid -17C weather
Among the road closures being reported this morning (December 16) by the road monitoring organisation INRIX National are:
A836 at Lairg, in both directions closed due to snow between Lairg and Tongue. Due to heavy snow and snow drifts the road has been closed for safety.
A939 at Corgarrff, in both directions closed due to snow between Tomintoul and Cock Bridge. Cameras show that the snow gates are closed.
A968 at Firth - in both directions closed due to snow between Voe and Firth. Road has been closed since Monday Afternoon.
The latest weather and traffic updates can be found here.
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