A yellow warning for rain and snow is to come into force between Christmas and New Year.
The Met Office alert covers large parts of north, eastern and central Scotland including Aberdeenshire, Tayside, Fife, parts of the Lothians and the Borders.
The weather forecaster warns Scots could face travel disruption, flooding and power cuts.
The alert is in place from 6am until 11.59pm on Wednesday December 27.
The forecast reads: “A band of heavy rain and hill snow will move northeast across Scotland on Wednesday. At low elevations (roughly below 200 metres) this will fall as rain, with 20-30 mm developing quite widely across the warning area, with a risk of up to 50mm in some locations.
“At higher elevations (roughly above 200 metres) snow is expected, with 10-15 cm likely to accumulate, particularly on southeast-facing hills and will affect some higher transport routes. Very strong southeasterly winds will accompany the rain and snow and exacerbate any impacts.”
It follows days of high winds, blustery showers and snow battering parts of Scotland which sparked three yellow weather alerts across the country.
Parts of Scotland were hit by snow showers and ice, causing travel disruption over the Christmas weekend.
A yellow warning for wind remains in place until midnight on Sunday, December 24, covering most of Scotland north of Peebles.
Forecasters have warned of “blustery” conditions and have urged motorists to take care on the road with gusts of up to 70mph expected in some regions.
The chances of a white Christmas in Scotland are slim, with wet and windy conditions and highs of up to 10C expected for most parts of the country.
According to STV weatherman Philip Petrie, the places most likely to see snow on Christmas morning are the north-west Highlands, Inverness and Fort William in higher ground areas.
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