Met Office issue amber alert ahead of Storm Bert hitting Scotland

An amber weather warning has been issued for the weekend when Storm Bert is set to sweep in.

The Met Office said Storm Bert is expected to bring "heavy rain, strong winds and disruptive snow to parts of the UK through the weekend" and warned of travel disruption and potential flooding.

This comes as more than 20,000 pupils are off school today due to the snowy conditions.

An amber alert for heavy snow and ice will be in force between 7am and 5pm on Saturday in an area north of Scotland's central belt, where 10-20cm is likely on ground above 200 metres and potentially as much as 20-40cm on hills above 400 metres.

The warning covers parts of Angus, Perth and Kinross, Stirlingshire, Aberdeenshire and some of the Highlands and Argyll and Bute.

Forecasters said power cuts and travel disruption are likely and there is a good chance some rural communities could become cut off.

A yellow warning of snow and ice for much of Scotland, northern England and parts of western and eastern England and Wales is in force between midday on Thursday and 10am on Friday.

The wintry weather has affected education with more than 114 schools shut in the Highland Council area on Thursday due to snow, including Inverness Royal Academy where pupils were told their prelim exams planned for the day will be rescheduled.

Almost 40 schools in Aberdeenshire are also shut while many others had delayed openings, and in Moray around 12 are closed and others opened late.

It comes after more than 100 schools or nurseries were closed in Scotland on Wednesday because of the weather.

The weather has also caused transport disruption, with Stagecoach Highland services in Inverness suspended due to road conditions and Stagecoach Bluebird services in Moray disrupted.

Forecasters said Storm Bert will reach the UK on Saturday, bringing heavy rain and snow, together with strong winds to large swathes of the country.

Ahead of the storm, wintry showers will continue to impact parts of the UK on Thursday and Friday, particularly exposed areas in the north.

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Dan Holley said: "Storm Bert marks a shift to much milder air and wintry hazards will gradually diminish through the weekend, but heavy snowfall is expected across parts of northern England and Scotland for a time on Saturday, especially over higher ground, and warnings are in place.

"Heavy rain through Saturday and Sunday, especially in southern and western parts of the UK, will also bring impacts for some with a number of warnings in place."

The RAC urged people to take care on the roads.

RAC Breakdown spokeswoman Alice Simpson said: "The first taste of winter means drivers are suddenly contending with the some of the worst road conditions we've seen all year.

"With freezing temperatures already causing disruption in the east and north of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and snow showers now affecting regions further south, we advise motorists to plan well as ice forms on untreated surfaces."