Forecasters are warning of snow to hit Scotland this week before a 570 mile blizzard descends on the UK. The arctic blast is set to cause plummeting temperatures as low as -4C in some parts of the Highlands.
Snow will fall the hardest in the Argyll and Bute as well as the Highlands this week, with Glasgow also being affected. The first fall of snow is set to descend on central parts of Scotland in the early hours of tomorrow morning (Friday, January 31).
It comes after parts of Scotland were hit with a yellow ice warning today by the Met Office, which covered large parts of northern Scotland ahead of the snowfall. The Met Office has confirmed that snow is set to fall over parts of Scotland tonight.
Met Office Meteorologist Clare Nasir said: “The rain arrives, heavy at times as it extends over central parts of Scotland, snow over the Highlands by midnight… It’ll be a cold start to the day [Friday January 31] with temperatures dipping close to freezing, if not below.”
According to weather charting website WX Charts, parts of the country can expect up to 11cm of snowfall. Areas of central Scotland that don’t see snow can instead expect rain, says the Met Office.
Weather maps on WX Chartsshow a maximum snowfall in Scotland of 11cm (4.3 inches). Fort William is set to see up to 7cm (2.7 inches) of snow in the early hours of tomorrow morning. The Cairngorms is predicted to see the maximum snowfall, while large areas of central Scotland will see between 3cm (1.1 inches) and 7cm (2.7 inches) of the white stuff.
The height of snow is forecast to take place on Friday February 14, as a maximum of 30cm is charted to fall across parts of central Scotland.
These snow flurries come less than a week after the mass disruption left by Storm Éowyn, which ravaged the country with winds reaching as high as 100mph last weekend.
A rare red weather warning was issued by the Met Office as the storm caused over 120 trees to fall, mass school closures, and over 10,000 Scots left without power. The extreme weather also left two people dead last weekend.
Clean-up after the widespread damage caused by Storm Éowyn has continued well into this week. But it’s clear that the harsh winter weather is far from over.
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