Scotland to be battered by rain and snow amid travel disruption

Scotland will be battered by heavy rain and snow this weekend as a fresh weather alert warns of a danger to life due to flooding.

The Met Office issued another yellow warning after multiple alerts this week for large parts of Scotland after snow and ice affected a number of areas across the country.

The alert comes into force over Saturday and Sunday across 27 council areas.

Forecasters say heavy snow will be followed by a “rapid thaw and subsequent rain” on Saturday night which could cause travel disruption.

There is said to be a small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing “danger to life” meanwhile roads and travel routes may be cancelled or delayed.

The warning begins on Saturday at 4am and runs until Sunday at around 9am.

It comes after train travel was disrupted and a bus overturned in Aberdeenshire while a man died in a crash involving four vehicles on the A9.

On Wednesday, a car burst into flames on the A96 near Inverurie and lorry jack-knifed on the A9 at Daviot in the Highlands forcing roads to be closed.

Car on fire on A96 near Inverurie Fubar News

Gritters have been out in force amid weather warnings for snow and ice with the coldest temperature recorded overnight on Tuesday being -11.2C in Braemar.

A current warning for snow and ice remains in place across Aberdeenshire, Moray, the Highlands and Islands, Argyll and Bute and North Ayrshire until midday on Thursday.

North East & Tayside

Road blocked amid travel disruption as snow and ice alert issued

Another warning for rain and snow this weekend was issued on Wednesday afternoon covering 27 areas in Scotland, with more disruption expected.

Insight Sean Batty

The cold weather is set to last a few more days before a dramatic change to much milder conditions at the weekend.

Wednesday night will be another very cold one with low of -8C in a few spots of central and southern Scotland, while wintry showers and icy weather continues to affect northern areas. Overnight slightly less cold ait will turn the snow in northern parts to more of a mix of rain and sleet, but snow will continue at higher levels.

On Thursday some wintry weather will move down the western side of the country with rain and sleet across the Highlands, Argyll and Bute, Glasgow, Dunbartonshire, Renfrewshire, Inverclyde and Ayrshire. This will fall as snow over higher areas meaning the likes of Uplawmoor and East Kilbride could see some wet slushy snow settling on the grass.

A big change comes on Saturday, with gales arriving around coastal areas and across the islands as milder weather moves north. There will also be a spell of heavy rain, which will initially fall as snow over high ground, although even here, it’s likely to turn more sleety as the warmer air moves in. By Saturday evening, temperatures could be back to the low teens across the Inner Hebrides, Ayrshire, Dumfries, and Galloway—quite a shift from the low figures of the last few days.

Early next week colder air comes back south, but doesn’t look like it will last very long and won’t be as wintry as this spell has been for the north of the country.