Scotland is set for snow and ice overnight despite basking in the sunshine in recent days.
A yellow weather warning has been issued to northern parts of the country from 10pm on Tuesday to 10am on Wednesday as the spring heatwave comes to end.
The forecast says wintry showers in the evening will turn increasingly to snow and hail during the early hours of Wednesday.
As much as 5cm of snow is likely to fall on grounds above 200-300m with 1-2cm expected upon areas above 100m.
The Met Office is urging drivers to be careful on roads as ice forming on untreated surfaces could lead to ‘hazardous driving conditions’.
STV Weather presenter Philip Petrie said: “Overnight on Monday we started to see a weak cold front coming down across Shetland and Orkney, and it is this front that marks a big divide between temperatures.
“Tuesday overall will be wetter and cooler, with much colder air spreading southwards and wintry showers following behind.
“There is a risk at the moment of snow above 400-500m across the Cairngorms, however the showers through the latter half of the day are heavier and the freezing level is lower so we could see snow even down to lower levels for Shetland and Orkney by sunset.
“Overnight Tuesday and Wednesday we continue to see heavy snow showers moving southwards, giving us some snow accumulations on roads as far south as the A9 and higher level routes through the Cairngorms and the Highlands.
“The level of disruption is quite low at the moment though, as the high temperatures we have been experiencing lately means road temperatures are quite high too.
“So any snow that lands shouldn’t hang around for long, and will easily melt away thanks to the surface temperature and any tires driving across.
“It’s not out of the ordinary to see snow at this time of year, but given the fact we have had a spell of such warm and pleasant, settled weather it will be noticed and noteworthy.”
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