Warning: Amber
To expect: Snow
Affected areas: Central, Tayside and Fife, Grampian, Highlands and Eilean Siar
Start time estimate: Tuesday 11am
End time estimate: Tuesday 7pm
The Met Office has issued an Amber snow warning for several regions across the UK for Tuesday.
The warning is covering parts of Central, Tayside and Fife, Grampian, Highlands and Eilean Siar. All local areas affected are listed below.
Snowfall is forecast for the regions, expected to start covering the areas at around 11am on Tuesday and continuing until 7pm.
The Amber warning for snow was announced at 10:23pm on Monday, January 5.
A Met Office forecast said: “A spell of heavy snow is expected to move east across central and northern Scotland during Tuesday, clearing to wintry showers during Tuesday night. A further 5-10 cm is expected widely with 15 cm in places, particularly above 200 metres.”
What to expect
Travel delays on roads are likely, stranding some vehicles and passengers; Some delays and cancellations to rail and air travel are likely; There is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off; Injuries from slips and falls are likely on icy surfaces; Untreated pavements and cycle paths likely to be impassable; There is a good chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage.
What should you do?
It is safer not to drive in these conditions, but if you need to make an essential journey, consider alternative forms of transport, to keep you and others safe. If you must drive, do this more safely by: using dipped headlights; accelerating gently, using low revs and changing to higher gears as quickly as possible; starting in second gear to help with wheel slip; maintaining a safe and steady speed, keeping distance from other vehicles; using a low gear to go downhill, avoiding braking unless necessary; steering into skids, not taking your hands of the wheel, and avoiding slamming on brakes. People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items. If isolated due to snow, follow these simple steps to keep safe and well: keep the thermostat set to the same temperature both during the day and at night; turn off electrical heaters and put out your fire before going to bed; ensure pets are safe by keeping them warm and comfortable; prevent frozen pipes by opening kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing; stay indoors, wrap up warm and close internal doors to keep the heat in; and, if you need support call the British Red Cross Support Line on 0808 196 3651. Help to protect vulnerable people that you know including older people, those with underlying conditions and those who live alone; they may need support with food and medical supplies. If you are worried about your health or that of somebody you know, ring NHS 111. Stay up to date with the weather forecast for your area and follow advice from emergency services and local authorities. For further details see Met Office Warnings & Advice.
Full list of local areas affected
Central, Tayside and Fife
Angus, Perth and Kinross
Grampian
Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray
Highlands and Eilean Siar
Highland
What is an amber weather warning?
The Met Office has three categories of weather warning, depending on the likely impact of severe weather and also how likely it is to strike in a particular area.
A yellow warning is issued when weather conditions are expected to disrupt travel and traffic and may impact on daily routines but are not likely to pose a risk to life or property.
An amber warning is more severe and advises people to think about changing their plans to minimise the risk.
A red warning means weather conditions are expected to be dangerous with widespread damage to property and a risk to life, with the public usually advised to avoid travelling.
The Amber weather alert for snow will remain in effect until 7pm on Tuesday.