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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Snow and ice Met Office warning upgraded to amber | Snow and ice Met Office warning upgraded to amber |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Weather warnings have been upgraded as snow and ice continue to affect large parts of Scotland. | Weather warnings have been upgraded as snow and ice continue to affect large parts of Scotland. |
| The Met Office issued an amber alert for south west Scotland, extending to parts of the central belt, lasting until Wednesday morning. | |
| Scores of schools have been closed in the Highlands and Dumfries and Galloway after overnight snowfall. | Scores of schools have been closed in the Highlands and Dumfries and Galloway after overnight snowfall. |
| Thundersnow is forecast in the west, with a warning that power supplies and mobile phone coverage may be affected. | Thundersnow is forecast in the west, with a warning that power supplies and mobile phone coverage may be affected. |
| The Met Office amber "be prepared" warning, which means transport and power supplies may be disrupted with a potential risk to lives and property, was issued from 15:00 on Tuesday until 08:00 on Wednesday and also extends across much of Northern Ireland. | |
| At least 13 schools were closed and the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said crews had attended 12 crashes as a direct result of the poor conditions. | |
| Longer spells of snow are expected, especially on Tuesday evening, with drifting over the hills in strong to gale force winds before the situation improves on Wednesday. | Longer spells of snow are expected, especially on Tuesday evening, with drifting over the hills in strong to gale force winds before the situation improves on Wednesday. |
| Areas in Scotland affected by the amber warning include Central, Strathclyde, south-west Scotland and Lothian, the Borders and some parts of Tayside and Fife. | Areas in Scotland affected by the amber warning include Central, Strathclyde, south-west Scotland and Lothian, the Borders and some parts of Tayside and Fife. |
| Some high ground is likely to see 15-25 cm (6-10 inches) of snow building up, especially above 200-300m, with 5-10 cm (2-4 inches) more typical at low levels throughout the warning area. | Some high ground is likely to see 15-25 cm (6-10 inches) of snow building up, especially above 200-300m, with 5-10 cm (2-4 inches) more typical at low levels throughout the warning area. |
| Yellow warnings of snow are likely to remain in place across most of the country until late on Friday. | Yellow warnings of snow are likely to remain in place across most of the country until late on Friday. |
| A number of roads were affected by snow and ice during the morning rush hour including the A9, M9, M80, A720 M77, M74, A7 and the M73. | |
| Drivers travelling from Glasgow to Edinburgh were asked to avoid the M8 due to long delays. | |
| And difficult driving conditions led to a number of minor shunts across the country's roads network. | And difficult driving conditions led to a number of minor shunts across the country's roads network. |
| Thousands of school pupils in the Highlands Council area have missed classes or been sent home early due to snow and ice. | Thousands of school pupils in the Highlands Council area have missed classes or been sent home early due to snow and ice. |
| The weather affected 13 secondary schools, 53 primaries, two special schools and 26 nurseries. About 8,900 pupils had an unexpected day off classes. | |
| Further south, Dumfries and Galloway Council said 20 schools were closed due to weather problems or heating failures. Some schools have also been closed in the East Ayrshire and Stirling Council areas. | Further south, Dumfries and Galloway Council said 20 schools were closed due to weather problems or heating failures. Some schools have also been closed in the East Ayrshire and Stirling Council areas. |
| In North Lanarkshire, all prelim exams for secondary pupils were postponed due to transport problems and all cafes in council leisure and culture buildings were shut. | |
| South Lanarkshire Council closed 18 schools and nurseries throughout the day. | |
| A number of airports were affected by the wintry conditions, with Inverness airport closed during the morning. | A number of airports were affected by the wintry conditions, with Inverness airport closed during the morning. |
| Flights in an out of Aberdeen were also disrupted and Glasgow airport was briefly closed while the runway, taxi and passenger routes were cleared. | Flights in an out of Aberdeen were also disrupted and Glasgow airport was briefly closed while the runway, taxi and passenger routes were cleared. |
| Insp Darren Faulds, of Police Scotland's road policing unit, urged motorists to drive to the conditions. | Insp Darren Faulds, of Police Scotland's road policing unit, urged motorists to drive to the conditions. |
| "Today you'll see that weather conditions aren't that great in the west," he said. "We've got sporadic flurries of snow up and down the country all the way from the English border to central Scotland. | "Today you'll see that weather conditions aren't that great in the west," he said. "We've got sporadic flurries of snow up and down the country all the way from the English border to central Scotland. |
| "All I would ask is that motorists adhere to the warnings they hear on the radio, drive to the conditions you see in front of you and be prepared to extend your journeys due to the weather conditions." | "All I would ask is that motorists adhere to the warnings they hear on the radio, drive to the conditions you see in front of you and be prepared to extend your journeys due to the weather conditions." |
| Stein Connelly from Traffic Scotland told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "We've experienced some challenging weather conditions through the night and into the morning peak. | Stein Connelly from Traffic Scotland told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "We've experienced some challenging weather conditions through the night and into the morning peak. |
| "Overnight there were -5.5 degree temperatures [in some areas]. We had 148 gritters out and we are seeing some heavy snowfalls on some of the routes so it's challenging driving conditions just now. | "Overnight there were -5.5 degree temperatures [in some areas]. We had 148 gritters out and we are seeing some heavy snowfalls on some of the routes so it's challenging driving conditions just now. |
| "This is going to be the same over the next two or three days." | "This is going to be the same over the next two or three days." |
| Traffic Scotland tweeted an image of the early-morning white-out conditions on the M8 at Easterhouse, and assured motorists that gritters were working hard to keep roads open. | Traffic Scotland tweeted an image of the early-morning white-out conditions on the M8 at Easterhouse, and assured motorists that gritters were working hard to keep roads open. |
| The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for most of Scotland not covered by the amber alert. | The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for most of Scotland not covered by the amber alert. |
| At low levels 2-8cm (1-3 inches) of snow can be expected, but there may also be thundersnow - a thunderstorm with snow falling instead of rain - especially in western areas. | At low levels 2-8cm (1-3 inches) of snow can be expected, but there may also be thundersnow - a thunderstorm with snow falling instead of rain - especially in western areas. |
| Forecasters said there was potential disruption to power supplies due to lightning strikes. | Forecasters said there was potential disruption to power supplies due to lightning strikes. |