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Warnings as high winds and snow forecast for Scotland High wind warning for Scotland upgraded by Met Office
(1 day later)
Weather warnings have been issued for high winds which are forecast to hit Scotland on Thursday morning. The Met Office has upgraded its warnings for high winds which have been forecast to hit much of Scotland on Thursday morning.
A deep area of low pressure is expected to lead to a severe spell of windy weather and some snowfall in the north. The agency had issued a yellow "be aware" warning, but this has been upgraded to amber "be prepared".
Through the central belt gusts of 60mph to 70mph are forecast, with speeds hitting 80mph on Orkney and the far north coast of Scotland. It predicted widespread gusts of 60 to 70mph, although these could be as high as 90mph in exposed parts of the north and west.
The Met Office has issued an early Yellow "be aware" warning in force but this could be upgraded later to amber. The winds are forecast to ease down by in most areas by Thursday afternoon.
Rush hour The amber warning covers most parts of Scotland, although the lesser yellow warning remains in place in Grampian.
BBC Scotland weather forecaster Christopher Blanchett said: "On Thursday, a deep area of low pressure runs west to east across the far north of Scotland. The winds are likely to impact on ferry services and lead to speed restrictions on some bridges. Network Rail and ScotRail have also warned of reduced services and emergency speed restrictions on some routes.
"This will lead to a spell of severe, windy weather for most of the country and some snowfall. And commuters and motorists were urged to prepare for challenging conditions in the morning rush hour.
"While it is not unusual to see a low pressure area of this depth in Scotland during the winter months, they are not very frequent and can cause some disruption." Senior Met Office advisor Graeme Forrester said: "The worst of the conditions are forecast in the Highlands and northern Scotland. However, parts of the central belt will also be affected by some very strong winds during Thursday morning's rush hour period."
Windy conditions are expected through the early hours and morning rush hour on Thursday, with severe westerly gales across many parts of Scotland. The Met Office said there was also the potential for "significant coastal flooding" in parts of southeast Scotland.
The Met Office advises of the potential for significant disruption, particularly to transport, through the central belt during Thursday morning. And snow showers are likely to affect the north of the country on Thursday, initially across Shetland but then quickly extending south to the mainland through the morning.
There is potential for small-scale coastal flooding and some "over-topping" of causeways across the Western and Northern Isles, due to big waves. These wintry showers will be most frequent across the Northern Isles, the north Highlands and northern Aberdeenshire, the Met Office said, although could extend into more central areas of the country.
Yellow warning Blizzard conditions
The winds are forecast to ease down by Thursday afternoon but could remain gale-force down the east coast for a time. Accumulations of 2 to 5cm are possible in places on low ground, with 10 to 20cm possible on higher ground.
Mr Blanchett said: "After the winds ease, a north or north westerly flow of air will give an arctic blast of cold weather, leading to frequent and heavy snow showers. In addition, the strong northerly winds will lead to some drifting, with blizzard conditions possible at times over high ground.
"These are most likely across the north of the mainland, including to low levels in Inverness and Aberdeen on Thursday afternoon and night. Icy conditions may also develop on some roads on Thursday night and Friday morning, and the public was warned to be aware of the potential for disruption, particularly to travel.
"Accumulations of 2cm to 5cm are possible in places, although by their nature not everyone will see these showers." Higher pressure is expected return from the west during Friday and cause the snow showers to ease, before milder conditions return into the weekend.
A Met Office Yellow warning for the snow showers is also in force. The Scottish government said its Multi Agency Response Team would be operational for the duration of the alerts.
For the hills and high ground, including high-level road routes across Highland and Grampian, the accumulations will be greater, with blizzard conditions at times on the mountains. Martin Thomson, the winter resilience manager for government agency Transport Scotland, said: "I would urge the travelling public to consider the conditions before they set-off on their journeys.
The central belt will remain largely dry. However, there will be some snow showers across the hills and high ground of the Southern Uplands. "They should listen to radio reports, visit the Traffic Scotland website or twitter feed, and carefully consider police advice."