Warning: Yellow
To expect: Snow
Affected areas: Central, Tayside and Fife, Grampian, Highlands and Eilean Siar, Orkney and Shetland, Strathclyde
Start time estimate: Tuesday midnight
End time estimate: Wednesday 3pm
The Met Office has announced a Yellow snow alert for Central, Tayside and Fife, Grampian, Highlands and Eilean Siar, Orkney and Shetland and Strathclyde across the UK for Tuesday and Wednesday.
The warning is covering parts of Central, Tayside and Fife, Grampian, Highlands and Eilean Siar, Orkney and Shetland, Strathclyde. All local areas affected are listed below.
The regions should prepare for substantial wintry showers, starting on Tuesday at around midnight and ending at 3pm on Wednesday.
The Yellow alert for snow was issued at 9:35am on Monday, February 2.
A Met Office forecast said: “Rain feeding into eastern and northern Scotland will increasingly fall as sleet and then snow through Tuesday and into Wednesday. By Wednesday accumulations of 1-3 cm are expected above 100 metres, with perhaps up to 5 cm in some places. For ground above 200 metres, accumulations of 10 cm are expected with some places locally seeing up to 20 cm. At low levels precipitation will be a mix of rain, sleet and snow which could lead to some small snow accumulations in places. Strong winds at times will lead to blizzard conditions and drifting of lying snow, especially in the north of the warning area.”
What to expect
Some roads and railways likely to be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train services.
What should you do?
Snowy, wintry weather can cause delays and make driving conditions dangerous. Keep yourself and others safe by planning your route, giving yourself extra time for your journey. Check for road closures or delays to public transport and amend plans if necessary. If driving, make sure you have some essentials in your car in the event of any delays (e.g., warm clothing, food, water, a blanket, a torch, ice scraper/de icer, a warning triangle, high visibility vest and an in-car phone charger). Be prepared for weather warnings to change quickly: when a weather warning is issued, the Met Office recommends staying up to date with the weather forecast in your area. For further details see Met Office Warnings & Advice.
Full list of local regions affected
Central, Tayside and Fife
Angus, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Stirling
Grampian
Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray
Highlands and Eilean Siar
Highland
Orkney and Shetland
Orkney Islands
Strathclyde
Argyll and Bute
What is a yellow 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 Yellow weather alert for snow will remain in effect until 3pm on Wednesday.