iStockSnow and ice is expected to cause travel disruption as wintry conditions continue to hit Scotland.
The Met Office issued a new weather warning for ice that will come into place at 4pm on Saturday and will expire on Sunday at 10am.
Forecasters warned that temperatures will continue to plummet to below freezing on Saturday evening, allowing for ice to form on untreated surfaces.
The Met Office added that scattered showers will fall as a mixture of rain, sleet and snow.
“Most areas are unlikely to see any fresh accumulations of snow though some slight falls are possible in places, mainly over Shetland and on higher ground in North Highland,” it said.
A yellow weather warning for snow that came into place at 10am on Saturday has been reduced.
The warning now only covers the Shetland Islands after initial forecasts suggested it covered more northern isles.
The warning will expire at 6pm on Saturday.
Forecasters said during the warning, an area of sleet or snow will hit Shetland, with snowfall reaching up to 5cm.
Areas on higher ground could see as much as 10cm of snowfall.
The wintry conditions are set to continue into next week, with STV weather presenter Philip Petrie telling the public to expect more warnings over the next 24 hours.
A spokesperson for Age Scotland raised concerns over struggles facing the elderly as the cold snap continues to bite.
Adam Stachura told STV News that he worries about how older people will cope with trying to stay warm over the next few days.
“We know how hard it is for older people, particularly those that live on their own, to actually get out of their house when it’s as bad as this,” he said.
“This is the time to go and check in on your neighbours, check in on your family members, even just picking up the phone to see how people are doing.”
A Transport Scotland spokesperson urged people travelling to plan ahead and allow for extra time on journeys.
“The Met Office still has issued updates for the weekend. However, with so much rainfall, saturated ground, and localised flooding in recent days, we would ask the public to remain vigilant,” they said.
“Please plan ahead, check before you travel, drive to the conditions, and allow extra time for your journeys.”
They added: “Saturday and Sunday looks to see the conditions continue in some parts of the country, with snow and ice warnings likely.
“There is however a snow warning currently issued for 12pm on Saturday until 9am on Monday. This is for a band of snow which is moving in over the weekend driven by a low pressure system.”
“This is going to be monitored over the coming days. We remain in regular contact with the Met Office, Police Scotland, Traffic Scotland and our Operating Companies, and stand ready to activate the Multi Agency Response Team (MART), if required,” they said.
Insight Philip Petrie STV weather presenter
The main story for this weekend is that low pressure is moving in across the south of the UK, bringing snow showers with it.
The extent of the low pressure is now further south than we were forecasting yesterday, so the range of the snow is not as far north as expected.
This is why the Met Office has tweaked and trimmed the yellow weather warning for snow to cover only parts of Lanarkshire, Ayrshire, and the Lothians. It still occurs at midnight and runs from Sunday until Monday at 6am.
As the low pressure pulls away, it puts us into a northerly airflow to start the new week. This brings further wintry showers to the north and west and turns things bitterly cold both by day and by night. Over the next few evenings, we could be seeing lows of -10c/-11c/-12c.
Further warnings are likely to be issued over the next 24 hours, so please keep up to date on the Met Office website and on STV News.
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