The Met Office has forecast snow to arrive in parts of Scotland on Wednesday as a new cold snap hits, with weather maps showing higher ground in the Central Highlands, around Loch Rannoch and Pitlochry, and near Dalwhinnie set to see snowfall during the early hours of the morning.
Snow expected on higher ground
Met Office weather charts indicate large portions of Scotland will experience snowfall on elevated terrain during the early hours of tomorrow. Snow is anticipated to fall sporadically across sections of the Central Highlands, surrounding Loch Rannoch and Pitlochry, for a short spell between 2am and 3.30am.
The weather chart displays zones of patchy snowfall, depicted in white and grey within a broader rain band shown in blue. At 2.45am weather charts reveal a substantial snow band near the Scottish village of Dalwhinnie in Inverness-shire.
Yellow warning and school closures
A Met Office yellow warning continues across northern Scotland. It was initially enforced throughout the entire region until 9pm but was removed from much of it during early afternoon and now remains active until 6pm in northern Scotland.
Every school in the Western Isles is shut on Tuesday owing to the severe winds predicted, while in the Highlands 30 primary schools and six secondary schools are closed due to weather-related problems, alongside eight in Aberdeenshire.
Winds and rail disruption
The meteorological service states a spell of powerful southwesterly winds is expected to persist across northern Scotland throughout today. Certain coastal or exposed locations could witness wind speeds surpassing 70mph, while gusts of 45-55 mph are anticipated more generally.
On the rail network, speed restrictions are implemented on some routes in the north and west of Scotland on Tuesday. Network Rail Scotland has imposed restrictions across multiple routes, including the west Highland line (covering Oban and Mallaig), the far north line, Highland main line (Blair Atholl - Dalwhinnie), Inverness - Kyle of Lochalsh, and Aberdeen - Inverness services. In western areas, limitations affect the Girvan - Stranraer, Kilwinning - Largs and Dalreoch - Helensburgh Central lines.
ScotRail has warned that train services linking Edinburgh and Dundee face delays or alterations owing to strong winds battering the Tay Bridge. The disruption follows Storm Boelo's devastating impact throughout Scotland.
Near Castle Douglas in Dumfries on Sunday, a 60 year old man was struck by a falling tree. Meanwhile, two women required hospital treatment after being hit by another tree that came down in Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross.
