THE Met Office has issued a series of new warnings amid expected severe weather over Hogmanay and into the New Year.
The majority of mainland Scotland had already been warned to brace for snow and rain on Monday, December 30 and Tuesday, December 31, with a warning of “significant disruption in the build up to New Year”.
Now, in a new series of warnings, the Orkney Islands have also been told to prepare for heavy snow on Hogmanay, while the Central Belt, Borders, and Dumfries and Galloway have been issued with a yellow warning for wind.
The wind warnings are in place until 11pm on Hogmanay, while snow and rain warnings remain in place up to the bells.
Moving into the New Year, warnings for snow have been brought in covering all of south Scotland and most of the Central Belt, as well as Perth, Dundee, and the coast up to Montrose.
These warnings are in place from 9am on New Year’s Day until 3am on Tuesday, January 2.
It will be an unsettled week ahead with a series of low pressure systems moving across the country. These will bring the risk of heavy rain, strong winds and some snow. Warnings have been issued so please stay #weatheraware if you have plans over the New Year/Hogmanay period ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/CoE5VkS6tw
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 29, 2024
The Met Office said in a statement: "From later today [Sunday] and into Monday and Tuesday a pulse of heavy rain and snow will affect Scotland from the Central Belt northwards.
"From Perthshire northwards and eastwards this precipitation is likely to fall as snow for a time leading to 10-20cm accumulations over higher ground. Strong winds could create blizzard-like conditions for a time, but as milder air pushes in behind, the precipitation will readily turn to rain."
The Met Office has warned Scots to expect:
- Spray and flooding will lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures, with longer journey times by road, bus and train services
- Some communities may be cut off
- Homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings
- Power cuts may occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected
- Delays or cancellations to train and bus services are possible from rain or snow
- Fast flowing or deep floodwater is possible, causing a danger to life
Andy Page, the chief forecaster with the Met Office, said: “There is a very complicated weather forecast for the UK with snow, strong winds and heavy rain all feature for parts of the UK.
"Almost the entire UK is covered by at least one weather warning during the coming week. With such a varied and complex weather situation there is potential for the pattern of warnings to shift and possibly escalate in some areas.
“With lots of celebrations and people on the move over the coming days, we are urging everyone to keep checking the forecast so they can update their plans.”
