Travel warnings as snow and ice impact northern Scotland

Travel warnings have been issued in parts of northern Scotland which have been hit with heavy snow and ice.

Amber warnings, covering parts of the north east, Highland, Perth and Kinross, Shetland and Angus have now expired.

However, yellow warnings are in place until midday on Monday for most areas north of Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as Argyll and Bute. There is a separate warning for parts of the Borders from midnight to midday on Monday.

ScotRail has warned that trains could be cancelled or delayed, and Highland Council has urged people not to travel unless “absolutely necessary”.

A ScotRail spokesperson said people “may wish to postpone travel until weather conditions improve”.

Anyone with tickets dated for Friday or Saturday can use them on Sunday or Monday at no extra cost.

Voluntary 4×4 response team Cotag said that in the past 48 hours they had moved 48 members of NHS staff, four patients due for dialysis and rescued four ambulances stuck in snow.

During the same time period, DSBM transport and recovery in Fraserburgh rescued more than 100 people stuck in cars.

Some areas were expected to be blanketed with up to 20cm (7.9ins) of snow at low levels.

On Friday, ScotRail was unable to run trains to or from Thurso due to heavy snow and there were no replacement buses due to the road conditions.

Other vehicles, including a snow plough, became stuck in the snow and ice.

Several snow gates have been closed and there have been a number of accidents, including a bus that crashed on the A952 in Aberdeenshire and a crash that closed part of the A90 at Keithock in Angus.

The A9 and the A99 between Helmsdale and Wick have been closed in both directions.

The Met Office said the mercury dropped as low as -5.7C at Drumnadrochit on the shore of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands on Friday.

ScotRail announced several train cancellations in the north of Scotland on Saturday, while a number of roads in the region have also been closed.

Forecasters said some delays and cancellations to air travel were also likely, as were power cuts and disruption on the roads.

Some rural communities could become cut off and up to 40cm (15.7ins) of snow is expected to accumulate on higher ground in the amber alert zones.

The Met Office chief meteorologist Rebekah Hicks said: “Arctic air and brisk northerly winds are gripping the UK as we start the new year.

“Snow and ice warnings remain in force for many areas, with the risk of heavy snow showers, especially across northern Scotland and over higher ground elsewhere, though many inland areas will stay largely sunny and clear.

“Bitterly cold conditions will persist through the weekend and into next week, with daytime temperatures struggling to rise above freezing for some, and overnight lows dipping to minus double figures in places.

“We urge people to stay weather aware, keep up to date with the forecasts and plan ahead as icy roads and slippery surfaces are likely.”

Network Rail said snow patrol locomotives had been running on the Highland Main Line, Aberdeen-Inverness and Far North Lines but said the weather and road conditions for its response teams were treacherous.

And ScotRail said it had teams carrying out checks across the network, monitoring the snowfall depth.

Mark Ilderton, ScotRail’s service delivery director, told BBC Scotland News: “They will make sure we’ve got the most up-to-date information in our control centres and keep everyone safe and moving.”

Network Rail wrote on X: “We’ll likely see conditions worsen on all routes out of Inverness, where we could experience disruption due to deepening and drifting snow, coupled with the low temperatures.

“We’re unlikely to see much change on Sunday and Monday, with drifting snow in the north of Scotland and continued freezing temperatures and sharp frosts everywhere else. On Monday, we expect to see more widespread snowfall, spreading from the northwest.

“We’ll continue to work hard to keep the railway running, with teams working around the clock despite the conditions out there.”

Avalanche warnings are in place across six mountain areas, with an amber “considerable hazard” issued by the Scottish Avalanche Information Service for Northern Cairngorms.

The other areas, including Torridon, have “moderate hazard” warnings.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said weather conditions would be challenging and urged people to listen to police advice.

Ch Supt Scott McCarren, Police Scotland’s head of road policing, urged people to plan ahead and consider if journeys were really necessary.

“If you need to travel, please drive to the conditions, be prepared for delays and allow extra time for your journey,” he said.

“Please don’t drive through road closures, the decision to close roads is not taken lightly and is done for public safety.”

The Scottish gritter and snowplough fleet is out in force across the nation’s road network – with names like Sir Andy Flurry, Robert Brrrns, and Plougher O’Scotland.