Snow Set To Bring Travel Disruption

Commuters are being warned about possible disruption during the morning rush hour with two inches of snow expected to fall across large parts of Scotland.

An amber be prepared'' weather warning is in place until 11am with strong and gusty winds forecast to lead to snow drifting and blizzard conditions at times.

The weather brought isolated power cuts to communities in the north of the country last night and a number of roads were hit by accidents, with the southbound lane of the A9 closed for a period near Dalwhinnie because of a jack-knifed lorry.

Traffic on the M8 and other main motorways was also slowed due to heavy snow while the Kessock Bridge was closed to high-sided vehicles.

Forecasters said more than 5cm (2in) could accumulate at lower levels by this morning, with more than 6in (15cm) on high ground and the amber warning covers most regions apart from Orkney and Shetland, where a yellow warning for snow is in place.

Matthew Martin, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, said: We expect some accumulations by morning in Scotland, Northern Ireland, northern Wales and northern and central England.

We expect to see up to 10cm (four inches) on the hills , and 2-5cm (one to two inches) elsewhere, with temperatures commonly zero and falling to minus 3C in rural areas.

Thursday evening and Friday will be slightly less cold, then there will be a colder Arctic flow on Saturday bringing snow which will be generally restricted to coastal areas, and remaining very cold into early next week.''

Police Scotland have issued travel advice to motorists.

Chief Inspector Louise Blakelock said: There is a risk of localised disruption to travel likely and we would ask motorists to take precautions before they set off.

If you are travelling, you should ensure that you and your vehicle are adequately prepared for the conditions.

Make sure you have sufficient fuel and supplies such as warm clothing, food and water in the event you are delayed for several hours.

Charge your mobile phone and plan your route, as well as alternative routes.

Road policing crews will be patrolling the road network to keep people safe during this period - please follow our advice to travel with extra caution.''

Transport Minister Derek Mackay said: A wide range of agencies and organisations have their response plans in action to try to mitigate the effects of this latest set of wintry conditions but we are expecting disruption to the transport network.

Gritters and patrols are out across the day and we have plenty of salt available. The winter control rooms are monitoring conditions 24/7 to ensure that the fleet is treating and patrolling where required, but we would ask people to listen to police advice regarding the high risk of disruption.''