Ice, heavy rain and flooding alerts issued across Scotland

Three yellow weather warnings are in place for Wednesday and Thursday.

Further weather warnings for ice and heavy rain have been issued across Scotland.

The Met Office said the alert means travel disruption is likely as icy patches on the roads cause issues for drivers.

A yellow weather warning for ice stretches across the length of Scotland, from Shetland to the Borders.

It comes into force at 3pm on Wednesday and remains until 11am on Thursday.

A yellow warning for rain has been issued from midnight on Wednesday until 6pm on Thursday covering the southwest of Scotland.

A separate yellow wearning for heavy rain comes into place at 6am on Thursday and effects a large part of the north east.

A “considerable” avalanche warning has also been issued in Scotland’s Cairngorms National Park.

The ice warning covers parts of Angus, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Falkirk, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Stirling, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highlands & Eilean Siar, Highland, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands, East Lothian, Midlothian, Scottish Borders, West Lothian, Argyll and Bute, East Dunbartonshire, Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, and South Lanarkshire.

Those commuting are urged to leave five minutes earlier than usual.

Sub-zero temperatures that hit much of Scotland earlier in the week are also set to end for many parts of the country as milder weather is expected from Thursday onwards.

People living in affected areas are warned that power cuts and other loss of services are likely as the threat of flooding increases.

That could also cause delays and cancellations to buses and trains. Scots are urged to check their routes before travelling.

Forecasters also said there is a “small chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater causing danger to life” as well as some communities being cut off.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said: “Flooding from rivers and surface water is possible in some south west and north east areas on Thursday due to heavy rain and snow melt.

“Localised flooding is likely, with a small chance of more widespread flooding of roads, infrastructure and properties.”

Insight Sean Batty STV meteorologist

The mild air is back with a vengance in the next few days with plenty of rain and strong winds.

On Wednesday evening, strong winds will affect the Hebrides and west coast with gales and heavy rain arriving.

The rain will spread east overnight with a spell of heavy snow over the Grampians for a time, although even here the snow turning back to rain as milder conditions move in.

On Thursday, the worst of the winds will be in the north east of the country with a risk of severe gales in places as heavy rain affects much of the country in the afternoon.

The heaviest and most persistent rain will be across Aberdeenshire, Fife and Angus which is likely to lead to some flooding issues, especially when added to the melting snow off the Grampians.

A few spots could get as much as 80-100mm of rain, which is not far off a month’s worth.

While the winds will slowly ease into Friday for most areas away from the Northern Isles, further heavy rain is likely to spread across most of the country on Saturday and another spell on Sunday.

So while we lose overnight severe frosts, our attention now moves to rainfall and flooding.

There are some hints of colder weather returning in the coming weeks, but it’s too early to put any details on that at this stage.

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