Tonight could be Scotland's coldest January night in 15 years

The first few weeks of January are, on average, traditionally Scotland’s coldest, and this year has been no exception.

Temperatures have plunged into double digits below freezing in some areas.

Last night, the Met Office’s official weather station at Tulloch Bridge in the Highlands recorded a low of -12.4C, with Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway not far behind at -10.8C.

Beyond the official readings, personal weather stations in areas like Biggar, Thankerton, and Carstairs reported similar lows of -10C to -12C around sunrise on Thursday morning.

Temperatures could plummet to -17C

The Aberdeen-Inverness train line at Kennethmont. Network Rail Scotland

If you thought Wednesday night was cold, brace yourself — Thursday will be even colder. I think the most favorable conditions for extreme cold will be in the north and west Highlands, where winds will drop and skies will clear later in the night.

Areas such as Tulloch Bridge, Scardroy, Achnasheen, Achanalt, Loch Monar, Glen Affric, Dirrie More, and Loch Glascarnoch could see temperatures plummet to around -17C.

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More sleet, rain, snow and ice is expected with further snowfall of up to 15cm on higher ground according to forecasters.

If that happens, it will mark Scotland’s coldest night since December 2022, and having looked through historic stats it looks like tonight could be our coldest January night in 15 years – when Altnaharra dropped to -22C on January 8, 2010.

Over the past few days I’ve experienced heavy snow in parts of Moray and the north Highlands. However, snow showers will gradually ease overnight and into tomorrow, though icy conditions will persist into the weekend.

After this cold snap, temperatures are set to rebound dramatically. By Monday, parts of Scotland could reach a comparatively balmy 12C, bringing wetter conditions along with the thaw.

Looking further ahead, it seems Scotland will remain under a predominantly south to southwesterly airflow, keeping temperatures milder through next week and possibly beyond.