Licence to chill? Scotland set to see inclement weather continue

Scots will need to remain wrapped up well as the nation looks set for further wet weather and pockets of frost and snow after a major cold snap.

Friday night saw a Yellow Weather Warning for ice put in place for Scotland as well as parts of southern England and Wales – with some areas seeing as much as 11cm (4.3in) of snow – while WX Charts has reportedly forecast snow of up to six inches north of the Border in the coming days.

Scots woke up to widespread heavy frost yesterday morning, and with it a major risk of ice and potential travel disruption. That followed some motorists being forced to abandon their cars, with many routes affected, including the M77 and M74, and multiple vehicles stuck on the M8 E/B offslip at J16, for example.

A number of schools also faced disruption on Friday, and Grantown Grammar School and Kingussie High School in the Highlands were closed due to severe road conditions, while in Glasgow, St Margaret Mary's secondary school were sent home early because staff could not get to work.

Birds endure inclement weather in Queen's Park on the southside of Glasgow on Friday. Picture: Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images.

BBC forecaster Christopher Blanchett flagged concerns regarding ice, saying: "There is a chance of icy patches almost anywhere and under clear skies temperatures are readily falling away to sub-zero and in rural parts of the north east perhaps -6C."

Looking ahead, Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin said today is likely to see a mixture of sunshine and showers, mostly early on, and across west and especially south-west Scotland, and outbreaks of rain in Shetland. He also flagged light winds, and temperatures across the north coming in “below average”.

The Met Office has also said for example that the Highlands & Eilean Siar area would last night experience a minimum temperature of -1C, and today see the south and west cloudy with showers or longer periods of rain and hill snow for the morning.

Overall, into Sunday afternoon Scotland will likely be dry and bright for most, 4C to 7C.

Showers

BBC forecaster Christopher Blanchett said of Scotland: "Looking ahead on Monday, showers and longer spells of rain. The thing you will notice is it will be a mild Monday with temperatures of 10C, 11C and maybe 12C." That comes amid an expectation of snow in the Highlands on Monday night.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is encouraging people to "walk like penguins" if faced with icy conditions to avoid injury.

The health service is urging people to bend their knees loosely, point their feet out slightly, extend their arms at their sides, walk flat-footed – taking short steps, and to keep their centre of gravity over their feet in order to avoid falling.

Linda de Caestecker, director for public health at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: "While it might seem silly to walk or waddle like a penguin, in the context of the wintery conditions we're seeing today, penguins know best.

"If you find yourself out and about in icy conditions, adopting the penguin stance is a really effective way to move without falling."

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