'Unsettled' weather starts Christmas weekend ahead of yellow snow warning

Christmas Eve will see a mix of showers of rain and sleet across the country with some snow on higher grounds.

‘Unsettled’ weather starts weekend ahead of yellow snow warning for Scotland on Christmas and Boxing Day iStock

Scots travelling over the Christmas weekend have been urged to plan ahead after a yellow weather warning was issued for snow and ice as “unsettled” weather kicks off the festive period.

Christmas Eve will see a mix of showers of rain and sleet across the country with some snow on higher grounds.

Forecasters have issued the warning from 9pm on Christmas Day until 6pm on Boxing Day as gale force winds and frequent blustery snow showers are set to cause disruption for people travelling over the festive period.

Around 1-3cm of snow is expected in lower areas of Scotland with up to 10cm of snow in high grounds of the country.

STV meteorologist Philip Petrie said: “It’s remaining pretty unsettled as we head into the Christmas weekend. We have low pressure dominating our weather bringing many bands of rain and snow across the country at times.

“For Christmas Eve we will see showers feeding in from the south, a mixture of rain and sleet with some snow on higher ground, but also some drier and brighter spells through the afternoon the further south you are. However all change come night time when we see another band of rain and snow moving northwards.

“Anything above 400m will see snow, but lower than that a mixture of rain and sleet. It does move through quite quickly with things turning drier by the early hours of Christmas Day.”

The yellow weather warning later in the weekend covers the Perth and Kinross, Stirling, Aberdeenshire, Moray, the Highlands, Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire areas.

It warned that some roads and railways will likely to be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train services and there is a very small chance of interruptions to power supplies.

Road users have been urged to approach with caution with some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths likely.

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