Scotland to face blizzard conditions as snow and ice weather warnings issued by Met Office

Parts of Scotland are set to face blizzard conditions as snow showers and ice sweep across parts of the country.

Two weather warnings have been issued by the Met Office for snow and ice set to lead to travel disruption for those travelling for the festive season.

One warning, which covers the Shetland Islands, is in place from 3pm on Thursday, December 21, and is expected to last until 10am on Saturday, December 23.

Forecasters said that snow showers will become frequent and at times heavy across Shetland from Thursday afternoon, lasting into Saturday morning with 1-2cm of snow likely to accumulate quite widely, with perhaps more than 5cm over higher ground and where showers are more frequent.

Scotland

Storm Pia: Snow and ice alert as 80mph winds cause chaos across Scotland

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for wind across the entire country.

Strong winds will lead to temporary blizzard conditions and perhaps some drifting of lying snow until early on Friday while icy stretches will also develop in places, especially overnight.

The second warning, which is in place from 9pm on Friday, December 22, until 12pm on Saturday, December 23, covers Angus, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, the Highlands and Orkney Islands.

The Met Office said that snow is expected to develop across the north and north east Scotland during Friday night before gradually turning to rain during Saturday.

Some low-level areas may see 2-5cm of snow whilst accumulations of 10-15cm are likely to fall on higher grounds above 200m.

An additional albeit temporary hazard will be the chance of ice mainly over higher ground as snow turns to rain.

The warnings were issued as Scotland is battered by 80mph winds as Storm Pia hits the country closing schools and causing travel chaos days before Christmas.

A yellow weather warning for wind came into effect across the whole of the country at midnight on Thursday and won’t end until 9pm the same day.

The Met Office issued the alert for all parts of the UK above Birmingham but Scotland is set to face the most powerful gusts.

Shetland Council announced all schools in the region would be closed on Thursday as the north and north east of the country faces the strongest winds.

The storm has also prompted ScotRail to cancel all of its trains between Aberdeen and Inverness.