Snow Alert: Amber Warning Extended, Scottish Weather Warnings Persist
A severe winter weather warning has been upgraded to an amber alert for Sunday, with more snow and icy conditions expected across Scotland. This follows a week of travel disruptions in the north of the country.
The Met Office has issued a series of yellow warnings for snow, wind, and rain, covering most of the country, with bitter cold temperatures expected to persist for a second weekend. The amber warning area, effective from 03:00, spans from the North East to Tayside and Central Scotland until 14:00 on Sunday.
The Scottish government, police, local authorities, and other groups are set to meet to discuss their response to the upgraded weather alert. More than 250 schools remained closed on Friday, including over 150 in Aberdeenshire, dozens in the Highlands and Aberdeen, and several in Moray. This has caused a week-long school break for many pupils at the start of the new term.
The Met Office warns of "heavy and persistent snowfall" leading to further travel disruptions, with a "high chance of rural communities becoming isolated." Ice will be a widespread hazard, especially overnight as temperatures drop below freezing.
Scotland's Justice Secretary, Angela Constance, acknowledges the ongoing challenges, stating, "As we face a second consecutive weekend of weather warnings with continued snowfall and cold conditions, parts of Scotland are still not back to normal. While recovery efforts continue, I thank the public for their patience and understanding that full recovery takes time."
On Friday, the Inverness-Wick railway line was closed due to snow, and several local roads remained inaccessible. However, main travel routes in the north and northeast have been cleared.
Aberdeenshire Council reported ongoing road disruptions, focusing on clearing areas with deep snow. They urge residents not to travel unnecessarily and request road condition updates via photographs uploaded to their portal (https://online.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/Apps/AdverseWeatherImageUploader).
