Weather warnings extended as Scotland hit by heavy snow

Fresh weather warnings have been issued as hundreds of schools in northern Scotland remain shut on Monday and travel is disrupted because of heavy snow.

A yellow warning of snow and ice which covered the country as far south as Perth until the end of Monday has now been extended until midnight on Tuesday.

The Met Office has also issued a yellow warning of snow and ice for the country from the central belt southwards down beyond the border which is valid until 11am on January 6.

Pupils are enjoying an unexpected extra day of holiday at schools in Shetland, Orkney, the Western Isles and Aberdeenshire while dozens in Moray are also shut as a result of the weather conditions.

In Aberdeen city, dozens of schools were closed for the day after opening was initially delayed until 11am.

The weather has disrupted rail travel with the Inverness to Wick/Thurso, Inverness to Kyle, Inverness to Aberdeen and Aberdeen to Dundee lines shut after heavy snow drifts on the tracks.

Network Rail Scotland said that multiple snowploughs have been deployed across the affected lines, where specialist teams are working to remove snow and ice from key routes and restore services.

Gary Hopkirk, route programme director at Network Rail Scotland, said: “Deep snow can pose a serious risk to the railway, and when snow depth exceeds 30cm, trains can’t run safely unless fitted with snow ploughs.

“Our teams are working as hard as they can, however, in some parts the snowdrifts are forming as quickly as we’re clearing them.

“We’ll only reopen lines and return to normal operations once we’re confident it’s safe to do so. We appreciate the patience of passengers while we manage the impact of this heavy snowfall.”

Mark Ilderton, ScotRail said the majority of the ScotRail network remains open despite the “challenging” weather conditions in the north of the country.

He said: “The Met Office yellow weather warning for snow and ice has been extended until Tuesday, 6 January, covering the entire country.

“Conditions can change quickly, so we’d encourage customers to plan ahead and check their journey before travelling.”

Some flights have also been disrupted by the weather conditions.

Loganair cancelled flights from Aberdeen and Inverness airports following heavy snowfall, while a number of flights to and from Sumburgh Airport in Shetland were cancelled as were several departures from Kirkwall Airport in Orkney.

A Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) spokesman said: “Forecasted adverse weather may impact flight schedules across Scotland. Please contact your airline for the latest flight information before travelling.”

On the roads motorists faced difficult driving conditions.

The A90 was closed between Goval and Craibstone at Bogenjoss because of weather conditions, while snow gates were closed on the A939 between Cock Bridge and Tomintoul.

Meanwhile the A9 south of Berridale will be shut from 9am to 11am on Tuesday so a Royal Mail lorry can be recovered, after

Infrastructure firm Amey said all 27 trunk routes in the south west of the country will receive “double salt treatments” at 1pm and 1am throughout most of the week, while all 15 patrol gritters will remain on the network continuously.

In the yellow alert area, forecasters predict that Grampian, the north-west Highlands and Aberdeenshire will see the most frequent snow showers on Monday, with 5-10cm likely to fall fairly widely and a few places seeing 20-30cm.

On Tuesday forecasters predict that a further 2-5cm of snow is likely to fall fairly widely, with the possibility of a further 10-15cm in some areas.

From the central belt southwards forecasters predict an area of “mainly light snow” with most places likely to see no more than 1-2cm.

A Met Office amber warning of heavy snow showers covering Shetland, Orkney and parts of the Highlands and Aberdeenshire expired at 10am on Monday.

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell, of Police Scotland, said: “The forecasted heavy snow showers and ice means driving conditions are likely to be hazardous in some areas.

“Our advice is to plan ahead and consider if your journey is really necessary during the weather warnings.

“We continue to work with partners to help our communities impacted by the adverse weather.

“If you need to travel, please drive to the conditions, be prepared for delays and allow extra time for your journey.

“Please don’t drive through road closures, the decision to close roads is not taken lightly and is done for public safety.”

Ministers met with police, local authorities, utilities companies and other bodies on Monday to discuss efforts to recover from the current snowfall and to prepare for further snow and ice warnings.

Following the meeting, John Swinney said snowfall across northern Scotland has had a “significant” impact and that a “huge effort” was going into keeping transport moving and public services open.

“At present, there is still some travel disruption but trunk roads are open and rail, ferry and air services are working to get back to normal as quickly as possible,” he said.

“Likewise, many schools are closed today but remote learning is in place for young people while contingency plans are in place for affected health and social care services.

“There will be further snow and ice, with yellow warnings in large parts of Scotland and temperatures set to remain cold, so impacts will continue to be felt in the coming days which could include transport problems and I would encourage everyone to plan ahead, look out for each other and pay close attention to the range of weather and travel advice available.”

He also paid tribute to the “truly exceptional” efforts of farmers, volunteers and members of the public in helping clear roads, dig out cars and keep people safe, which he said showed “heartening” community spirit.

He added that ministers will continue to keep the situation “under review”.