Plunging temperatures and rain, sleet and snow falling on already frozen ground are likely to pose further dangers this weekend, the Met Office has warned.
It has issued a fresh yellow warning for ice for overnight into Sunday, and also revised a snow alert in the north for Sunday and Monday, as the recent Arctic blast shows no signs of easing.
Forecasters are predicting the frigid northerly winds and temperatures will continue through next week.
And they have urged motorists, pedestrians and homeowners in the north to be prepared following the issuing of their latest alerts on Saturday and Sunday.
The ice warning comes into force at 4pm on Saturday and will remain in place until 10am on Sunday. It covers all of the Moray Firth coastline, and as far east as Fraserburgh, and south to Moy and Loch Ness in the central parts of the Highlands.
Out west it extends as far south as the Small Isles and includes much of Ross-shire, all of Skye, Raasay, Sutherland, Caithness, the Outer Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland.
“Temperatures will again fall widely below freezing during Saturday evening,” said a Met Office spokesperson. “This will allow ice to form readily on untreated surfaces, particularly where roads and pavements remain wet from wintry showers.
“Scattered showers will fall as a mixture of rain, sleet and snow. Most areas are unlikely to see any fresh accumulations of snow though some slight falls are possible in places, mainly over Shetland and on higher ground in north Highland.”
The area covered by Sunday and Monday’s snow and ice warning. Picture: Met Office.
The revised snow and ice warning, meanwhile, comes into force on Sunday at 9am and remains in place until 6am on Monday.
The warning covers Ross-shire as far west as Loch Glascarnoch and Loch Luichart, Inverness, the Black Isle. Loch Ness, Aviemore, Kingussie, the Beauly Firth and Inner Moray Firth, inland Moray communities such as Rothes, Dufftown and Keith and all of Aberdeenshire away from coastal areas.
“Whilst some areas will see little in the way of precipitation, showers, falling as snow away from windward coasts, will bring local accumulations of 1-4 cm,” continued the spokesperson. “Near windward coasts, a mixture of rain and sleet is more likely.
“During Sunday evening and overnight into Monday, ice is likely to develop on untreated surfaces.”
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