Fresh weather warnings have been issued across Scotland as heavy snow continues to cause widespread disruption, closing hundreds of schools and severely impacting transport networks at the start of the new working week.
Extended Warnings and Widespread School Closures
The Met Office has extended a yellow warning for snow and ice, which initially covered the country as far south as Perth until the end of Monday 5th January, until midnight on Tuesday 6th January. A separate yellow warning for snow and ice is also in place for the country from the central belt southwards, valid until 11am on Tuesday.
This has resulted in an unexpected extension of the festive break for thousands of pupils. Schools in Shetland, Orkney, the Western Isles and Aberdeenshire remain shut, with dozens more closed in Moray. In Aberdeen city, dozens of schools were closed for the entire day after an initial delayed opening until 11am proved unworkable.
Major Transport Networks Paralyzed
The severe weather has crippled rail, road and air travel across northern Scotland. Key rail lines, including the routes from Inverness to Wick/Thurso, Inverness to Kyle, Inverness to Aberdeen and Aberdeen to Dundee, are closed due to heavy snow drifts on the tracks.
Network Rail Scotland has deployed multiple snowploughs, with specialist teams working to clear key routes. Gary Hopkirk, Route Programme Director, warned that snow depths exceeding 30cm prevent trains from running safely without ploughs. "Our teams are working as hard as they can, however, in some parts the snowdrifts are forming as quickly as we’re clearing them," he stated.
On the roads, drivers faced hazardous conditions. The A90 was closed between Goval and Craibstone, and snow gates were shut on the A939 between Cock Bridge and Tomintoul.
Air travel has also been hit. Loganair cancelled flights from Aberdeen and Inverness airports, with several services to and from Sumburgh Airport in Shetland and Kirkwall Airport in Orkney also axed.
Official Advice and Further Forecast
Authorities are urging extreme caution. Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell of Police Scotland advised the public to consider if journeys are necessary, drive to the conditions, and not to ignore road closures. Scotland's Transport Secretary, Fiona Hyslop, encouraged people to ensure their vehicles were winter-ready.
First Minister John Swinney acknowledged the situation was "tough" for those in the north-east, Highlands and islands, but emphasised a "substantial operation" was underway to manage transport networks.
Forecasters predict Grampian, the north-west Highlands and Aberdeenshire will see the most frequent snow showers, with a further 2-5cm likely widely on Tuesday and up to 10-15cm in some spots. Areas from the central belt southwards are expected to see mainly light snow.
