Scotland is bracing itself for heavy snowfall in the first hours of the New Year after the Met Office issued another weather warning. The yellow alert for New Year’s Day could wreak havoc for many homes, particularly those in rural communities.
A series of yellow weather warnings are in place in various parts of the country over the next few days. Monday and Tuesday will see a pulse of heavy rain and snow affect Scotland from the Central Belt northwards.
Perthshire and the North East is expected to see snow, with strong winds potentially creating blizzard-like conditions before turning to rain. And gusts of up to 70mph are expected in exposed locations in Southern and Central Scotland on Hogmanay.
Now, the forecasters have confirmed that a new warning is in place for snow on January 1. The alert begins at 9am on New Year’s Day, when many Scots may still be trying to sleep off their wild celebrations from the Bells. It remains in place until 3am on Thursday, January 2.
The warning area covers most of Southern Scotland, including the Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, and much of Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire. Central areas like Glasgow, the Lothians, Falkirk, and parts of Stirlingshire are also covered by the weather alert.
Moving northwards, Perth and Dundee are also included, as well as large swathes of Perthshire, Fife, and Angus, with the warning area stretching as far north as Brechin.
Heavy and persistent snowfall is expected in the affected regions as a band of rain from a deep low pressure system moves in from the west and pushes east. Around 2-5cm of snow is forecast widely with locals in the worst-hit areas expecting around 10cm of the white stuff.
Delays on the roads and rails are to be expected, with some rural communities at risk of being cut off. Meanwhile, some people may experience power cuts due to the wide snowfall.
Tony Wisson, Met Office Deputy Chief Forecaster, said: “Locally, there could be accumulations of 10-15cm of snowfall, with larger amounts over the higher hills, and with associated strong winds we could see drifting snow in some parts.”
Speaking about this week’s warnings more widely, Chief Forecaster Andy Page said: “There is a very complicated weather forecast for the UK with snow, strong winds and heavy rain all feature for parts of the UK,” said Andy Page, a Chief Forecaster with the Met Office.
“Almost the entire UK is covered by at least one weather warning this week. With such a varied and complex weather situation there is potential for the pattern of warnings to shift and possibly escalate in some areas.
“With lots of celebrations and people on the move over the coming days, we are urging everyone to keep checking the forecast so they can update their plans.”
Regions affected by the Met Offce weather warning
Central, Tayside & Fife
- Angus
- Clackmannanshire
- Dundee
- Falkirk
- Fife
- Perth and Kinross
- Stirling
South West Scotland, Lothian Borders
- Dumfries and Galloway
- East Lothian
- Edinburgh
- Midlothian Council
- Scottish Borders
- West Lothian
Strathclyde
- East Ayrshire
- East Dunbartonshire
- East Renfrewshire
- Glasgow
- North Ayrshire
- North Lanarkshire
- Renfrewshire
- South Ayrshire
- South Lanarkshire
- West Dunbartonshire
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – Sign up to our newsletterhere.