Ice warnings remain in place as temperatures plummet to –11°C in the Highlands

Key Points

Lowest temperature in the UK recorded at Loch Glascarnoch
Coldest spots to be inland Aberdeenshire, along with the south and west Highlands.
Around 100 schools closed due to conditions
Conditions to return to average across the weekend

Scotland recorded the lowest temperatures in the UK overnight, with –11°C measured at Loch Glascarnoch in the Highlands.

The reading was the coldest anywhere in the country and the coldest night for the UK as a whole since January 11.

Some parts of Scotland may fall as low as –12°C as the cold snap reaches its final day on Friday, with lows of around –7°C likely in South Lanarkshire and Stirlingshire.

The coldest spots are expected in inland Aberdeenshire and the south and west Highlands, where values of –10°C to –12°C are possible.

Such temperatures are not unusual in deep winter, but they are rare for November.

Insight

Scotland to face coldest night of the year as temperatures plummet

Sean Batty

Much of Scotland saw severe frost, with temperatures dropping below –7°C across wide areas.

Met Office forecaster Simon Partridge said the chill was caused by a ridge of high pressure and lighter winds, which allowed temperatures to fall sharply.

Despite the cold start, widespread sunshine is expected later in the day, with conditions returning to average over the weekend.

The freezing night followed Thursday’s disruption, when some parts of the UK were blanketed in snow.

Across Scotland, around 100 schools closed due to the conditions.

In Aberdeenshire, 19 schools were closed and 20 in the Highlands were forced to shut on Wednesday. Several nurseries in Shetland and Moray also closed due to bad weather.

Snow and ice also affected roads and left some homes without power, particularly in the north.

The Highland Council said the A87 at Ardelve via Conchra and Allt na Sugh and Sallachy to Killilan Primary School was closed due to a jackknifed lorry.

Yellow ice warnings remain in place for northern and south-eastern Scotland on Friday morning.