Hundreds of schools across Scotland are poised to remain closed for a fifth consecutive day on Friday, as the nation continues to battle severe wintry weather. The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for snow and ice, covering much of Scotland, effective from 8pm tonight until midday on Friday.
This prolonged disruption follows several days of “intense” snowfall, widespread ice, and sub-zero temperatures, leading to significant travel chaos and extensive school closures, predominantly in the country’s north.
Over 250 schools are expected to keep their doors shut tomorrow, including more than 150 in Aberdeenshire, dozens across the Highlands and Aberdeen, and a number in Moray. Many pupils will have experienced an entire week away from the classroom, though remote learning has been provided in numerous cases.
A total of 278 schools were closed on Thursday across northern Scotland, or around 11 per cent of the school estate – down on the 440 that were closed on Wednesday.
A section of the A74(M) motorway was closed in both directions on Thursday after what Police Scotland described as “multiple collisions due to icy conditions”, but it has since reopened.
A wet and windy start to Friday for much of England and Wales, with snow in places ⚠️
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 8, 2026
In Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of NW England, a bright but cold start with frost and ice ❄️
Rain persisting for parts of east and southeast England, with wintry showers elsewhere 🌦️ pic.twitter.com/87nZByuagk
All “priority one” routes in Aberdeenshire and the Highlands are open, but Traffic Scotland confirmed snow gates remain closed on the B974 Bridge of Dye, and many local routes remain affected.
Rail lines around the country have now reopened, with the northern section of the Far North Line between Brora and Wick/Thurso being finally cleared of snow on Thursday evening.
Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop welcomed the news, posting on social media: “Thank you Network Rail Scotland – huge effort in very challenging conditions.”
Thank you Network Rail Scotland - huge effort in very challenging conditions https://t.co/jE677ehnF1
— Fiona Hyslop (@FionaHyslop) January 8, 2026
Aberdeenshire Council declared a major incident on Tuesday, warning of a “good chance” some rural communities would be cut off, as well as the possibility of power cuts.
The yellow alert, which comes into force at 8pm, predicts wintry showers which will lead to patchy ice and some fresh snow.
It covers the country to just south of Fort William and as far west as Glasgow.
Ministers attended a meeting at the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room on Thursday afternoon, after which justice secretary Angela Constance provided an update on recovery efforts.
“Following five days of amber warnings and hugely challenging snow and ice conditions across northern Scotland, progress to fully recover continues,” she said.
“However, there are yellow weather warnings in place overnight for most of Scotland, and with Storm Goretti set to affect other parts of the UK and a cold but still unpredictable weather picture for Scotland over the weekend, it is clear that impacts will continue to be felt in the coming days.”
First minister John Swinney also emphasised that the focus has now turned to recovery efforts.
He said: “We’ve had a period of really intense and heavy snowfall in certain parts of Scotland, particularly the North East, the Highlands and the Northern Isles and the Western Isles, and the government has been closely engaged with local resilience partnerships throughout that series of amber warnings, and those amber warnings have gone on for a prolonged number of days.
“The challenge with the snow has been, quite simply, the volume, and we’ve had formidable resources available in the North East and in the Highlands to clear transport routes on the trunk roads and also on the rail network, which is the responsibility of the Government.”
He added: “We are, however, thankfully, in a position where we are able to focus more on recovery than dealing with the immediate incident, and that very much is the focus of all local resilience partnerships, and the government is supporting with the reallocation of resources where that is possible to do so.”
Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell, of Police Scotland, said: “We have been working closely with resilience partners across local authorities, other emergency service partners, transport partners, NHS and health and social care partnerships, and other local organisations to support communities affected by adverse weather and keep public services open where possible.
“Some services may be impacted by adverse weather and I would encourage the public to check on neighbours or relatives, if they are able to do so safely.”
