More New Year's Day weather chaos for Scotland as Met Office warnings cover entire country

Fionnuala Boyle
·2-min read
More New Year's Day weather chaos for Scotland as Met Office warnings cover entire country

Scots have been hit with more New Year's Day weather chaos, with the entire country now covered by warnings. Scots are waking up from a heavy Hogmanay - perhaps in more ways than one - to stark news from the Met Office.

The forecasters initially issued just one yellow weather warning for snow for Grampian and the Highlands. The warning came into effect on Wednesday at 4am and will last until 10am on Thursday.

Regions above 984ft (300m) could see as much as 10cm of snow. Now, the Met Office has updated the alert to a snow and ice warning and increased the impacted area to the whole of northern Scotland.

The yellow warning now stretches from Aberdeen on the east coast across to Skye and Na h-Eileanan Siar off the west coast, and up to Orkney and Shetland too. Residents in those areas have been warned to expect delays on snow-covered roads and the risk of falls on icy pathways.

A second warning for ice will come into force at 4pm today and will also end at 10am tomorrow. This covers the rest of Scotland, as well all of Northern Ireland, and large parts of Wales and England.

This Met Office alert comes due to a band of rain, sleet and hill snow that is expected to clear southwards on New Year's Day afternoon and evening. This, twinned with the cold weather, will lead to ice forming quickly on untreated surfaces, causing problems for motorists and those out for a Ne'erday walk.

The whole country is covered by weather warnings on January 1
The whole country is covered by weather warnings on January 1 -Credit:Met Office

Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said there is expected to be widespread frost overnight, followed by a “particularly cold” couple of days, with the potential for widespread snow and disruption into the weekend.

Meanwhile, we previously reported that SEPA is warning communities to stay vigilant as flooding risks continue into New Year's Day. Nine regions remain on flood alert, and there are 21 more localised flood warnings.

Speyside, Great Glen and Tayside are the areas at greatest risk, according to SEPA, who worry houses and roads could be flooded due to rivers continuing to rise on Ne'erday.

Ice is expected to form quickly and could cause injuries to those driving and walking
Ice is expected to form quickly and could cause injuries to those driving and walking -Credit:Getty Images

Regions affected by the snow and ice warning

Grampian

  • Aberdeen

  • Aberdeenshire

  • Moray

Highlands & Eileanan Siar

  • Na h-Eileanan Siar

  • Highland

Orkney & Shetland

  • Orkney Islands

  • Shetland Islands

Regions affected by the ice warning

Central, Tayside & Fife

  • Angus

  • Clackmannanshire

  • Dundee

  • Falkirk

  • Fife

  • Perth and Kinross

  • Stirling

Grampian

  • Aberdeenshire

  • Moray

Highlands & Eileanan Siar

  • Na h-Eileanan Siar

  • Highland

SW Scotland, Lothian Borders

  • Dumfries and Galloway

  • East Lothian

  • Edinburgh

  • Midlothian Council

  • Scottish Borders

  • West Lothian

Strathclyde

  • Argyll and Bute

  • East Ayrshire

  • East Dunbartonshire

  • East Renfrewshire

  • Glasgow

  • Inverclyde

  • North Ayrshire

  • North Lanarkshire

  • Renfrewshire

  • South Ayrshire

  • South Lanarkshire

  • West Dunbartonshire

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