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Daily Record

National

Nicola Roy

Exact time snow will hit Scotland as Met Office warns of more bad weather and blackouts

Met Office Scotland

Parts of Scotland could be facing even more snow and ice until the end of this week, the Met Office has predicted.

The forecaster has issued a string of weather warnings this week lasting until late on Sunday, urging people in the affected areas to plan ahead for delays whilst travelling and to avoid slips on ice.

It added that there is a that homes could suffer power cuts and problems with mobile phone coverage, while rural communities could become cut off. The forecaster also warning that high winds are likely, which could lead to blizzard conditions.

Currently, the weather alert is in place until 9pm on Friday, December 16, with a separate one coming into force on at 3am on Sunday that covers much of the UK.

On Friday, there will be outbreaks of sleet and snow across the country beginning in the early hours of the morning, turning to rain at lower levels later on in the day. It's likely to begin at around 5am as it comes in from the west.

The Met Office's warning covers much of the Central Belt, as well as parts of Tayside and Fife and southwest Scotland.

The Met Office's forecast for Friday morning shows snow sweeping across parts of the country (Met Office)

According to the Met Office, outbreaks of sleet and snow will spread across much of southern, central and western Scotland through Friday.

It's not yet known which areas will be worst affected, but a few places seem likely to see snow appear through the morning and even into the afternoon, before increasingly turning to rain at low levels.

Snowfall is likely to be heavier over higher ground above 200m, with 10-20cm possible. However, those in lower areas can also expect to see some snow.

Through the Central Lowlands, 1-3 cm of snow is most likely at low levels, but 5-10 cm are possible in a few locations during Friday morning over the course of two or three hours.

People should also be aware that sleet or rain might fall onto frozen surfaces, which could make them very slippery.

The alert has been issued from 3am until 9pm on Sunday (Met Office)

On Sunday, more snow and ice will sweep across the UK - but it's unlikely to last long in most areas, as it will turn to rain instead.

The Met Office said: "A band of snow is expected to move northeast across the UK on Sunday, in most places lasting two to four hours before turning to rain.

"While parts of the northeast of England and Scotland will probably stay dry until late morning, the feature becomes slower moving here allowing for larger accumulations.

"Temporary accumulations of 1-3 cm are likely at low levels, with 5-10 cm more typical across upland areas and isolated 10-15 cm on high ground north of the Central Belt. Once rain becomes established, all lying snow will melt rapidly."

Snow has blanketed many parts of the country this week (Getty Images)

What to expect

The warning has been put in place from 3am on Sunday until 9pm that evening, with the following conditions expected:

Possible travel delays on roads stranding some vehicles and passengers, along with delayed or cancelled rail and air travel.
Some rural communities could become cut off
Power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage
A chance of injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces