Amber alert for north as snow warning extended across Scotland

Fresh weather warnings for ice and snow have been issued covering all of Scotland on Tuesday, as hundreds of schools remain closed in the north of the country.

A Met Office alert has been upgraded to amber in parts of the north until 19:00, while in central and southern areas a yellow warning is in place until 11:00.

Disruption on roads and the railway network is expected to continue as transport operators work to clear routes in severe wintry conditions.

Aberdeenshire, Orkney and Shetland councils said schools would remain closed, while Aberdeen said some schools, with staff living nearby, should be able to open.

Transport Scotland said that within the Amber warning area a further 5-10cm of snow is expected, with 15cm on higher ground above 200m.

First Minister John Swinney said there had been a “huge effort to keep transport moving and public services open”.

The Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGORR) met on Monday to discuss recovery efforts and preparations for the days ahead.

Swinney said: “Public services have been collaborating well in sharing information and vehicles.

“While I have heard of truly exceptional efforts by farmers, volunteers and members of the public offering to clear local roads, dig out cars and keep people safe.

“That community spirit is truly heartening to hear.”

Swinney added: “Impacts will continue to be felt in the coming days and I would encourage everyone to plan ahead, look out for each other and pay close attention to the weather and travel advice available.”

On the roads, Bear Scotland said that the A9 south of Berridale would be closed from 09:00 to 11:00 for the recovery of a Royal Mail lorry that crashed on Monday.

In the north east, maintenance operator Amey continues to clear routes.

It said that all 27 trunk routes in the south west of the country would receive double salt treatments at 13:00 and 01:00 throughout the week.

Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell said: “Heavy snow and ice means driving conditions are likely to continue to be hazardous in some areas.

“Our advice is to plan ahead and consider if your journey is really necessary.”

On the railway, Network Rail has been working to clear heavy snowdrifts blocking lines across northern Scotland.

Multiple snowploughs have been deployed across affected lines with specialist teams working to remove snow and ice.

Travel on the Inverness to Wick/Thurso, Inverness to Kyle, Inverness to Aberdeen and Aberdeen to Dundee lines was disrupted on Monday.

Network Rail said it was “unlikely” that affected routes would be up and running again by Tuesday morning and advised passengers to check their journeys.

A snow drift occurs when snow gets piled up as the wind blows across it, the Met Office explains.

Dry, powder snow is the easiest type of snow to move around because it doesn’t stick together.

The air temperature and dew point must be below 0°C mixed with dry air and the wind, which must be at least 10mph.

With stronger gusts you can end up with very deep areas of snow piled against roadsides, houses or anything that is facing the wind.

Network Rail Scotland’s route programme director Gary Hopkirk said teams were dealing with “exceptionally deep snow and severe weather conditions”.

He added: “Deep snow can pose a serious risk to the railway, and when snow depth exceeds 30cm, trains can’t run safely unless fitted with snow 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.”

Mark Ilderton of ScotRail said the majority of its routes remained open despite “challenging” weather conditions in the north of the country.

He added: “Conditions can change quickly, so we’d encourage customers to plan ahead and check their journey before travelling.”

LNER has advised anyone travelling between Edinburgh and Aberdeen not to attempt to travel until 14:00 on Tuesday.

Elsewhere, Aberdeen Football Club has confirmed Pittodrie Stadium would remain closed to visitors on Tuesday.

The team has an away tie, travelling to Ibrox to play Rangers.

Livingston Football Club said their premiership match against St Mirren would be subject to a pitch inspection at 10:30.

Forecasters have said a further 2-5cm of snow is likely to fall fairly widely on Tuesday, with the possibility of a further 10-15cm in some areas.

From the central belt southwards forecasters predict an area of “mainly light snow” with most places likely to see no more than 1-2cm.