Ice warning in force as freezing conditions grip parts of Scotland

A yellow weather warning for ice is in place across parts of eastern Scotland, with motorists urged to take care on untreated roads and pavements.

The alert remains in force until 10am on Monday after temperatures fell below freezing overnight following rain on Sunday afternoon.

Forecasters say icy stretches are likely to lead to difficult travel conditions, with the risk of black ice and slippery surfaces in affected areas.

It comes after a yellow alert, covering the majority of Scotland, ended at midday on Friday.

Around 1 to 2cm of snow fell overnight in some areas, with as much as 10cm forecast in higher areas.

The wintry weather follows flooding in parts of western Scotland and in the east, from Aberdeenshire down to Fife, earlier last week.

The warning comes as flooding concerns continue elsewhere in the UK, with authorities monitoring conditions after heavy rain over the weekend.

Meteorologists say Monday will bring sunny spells and blustery showers across Scotland, with another frosty start expected into Tuesday morning.

In the warning area, ice forming on untreated surfaces could lead to difficult travelling conditions, the Met Office said.

The warning said: “Following a spell of rain and some hill snow during Sunday afternoon, temperatures will fall below freezing as skies clear from the west through the evening and overnight, leading to ice forming on untreated surfaces.”

Met Office operational meteorologist Dan Stroud said there could be some black ice and slippery surfaces in the yellow warning area, and warned people should take extra care.

He said: “Monday really is a day of sunny spells and blustery showers.

“Overnight Monday into Tuesday we will see a frosty start.

“It’s going to be a largely dry day, some decent amounts of winter sunshine.

“But it does start to go downhill later in the day, from the south and the west we’ve got a broad area of cloud and rain pushing in south-west England and South Wales late on Tuesday, during the course of Wednesday this will bring a mix of rain, sleet and hill snow.

“We do need to keep an eye on this system, there’s the potential for snow warnings to be issued.

“Thursday into Friday will be largely dry with some clear skies, turning milder towards the end of the week.”