Snow and ice came to Moray and Aberdeenshire as temperatures plummeted to minus 18.9C on Saturday morning in Altnaharra. It was the UK’s coldest January night in 15 years.
The average low in northern Scotland for this time of year is about 0.3C, while for England, overnight lows are about 1.5C to 1.6C.
Major disruption to travel, schools and services across the north east has taken place as well as delays in delivery times from Royal Mail.
The full list of postcodes affected is as follows:
- AB13: Milltimber
- AB14: Peterculter
- AB21: Blackburn, Bucksburn, Dyce, Fintray, Kinellar, Newmachar, Whiterashes
- AB32: Westhill, Kirkton of Skene, Echt, Dunecht
- AB51: Inverurie, Kemnay, Kintore, Oldmeldrum
- AB52: Insch, Culsalmond, Largie, Auchleven, Oyne, Old Rayne, Colpy, Leslie, Wrangham, Duncanstone, Mill of Boddam
- IV30: Elgin
- IV31: Lossiemouth
- IV32: Fochabers
In a statement, Royal Mail said: “Following the Met Office weather warnings from Monday, 6 January 2025, snow and ice have caused severe disruption to mail collection and distribution services across some parts of the UK.
“The majority of services are running as usual, but in some areas, there is disruption to deliveries and collections – including Post Offices and Post Boxes.
“Whilst we’re working hard to maintain and recover our services, where it is safe to do so, there may be some ongoing disruption and delays to deliveries.”
What is the weather forecast for Scotland this week?
On Sunday, temperatures might reach 2C or 3C in the south east, while areas across the far west could see 6C-9C, and for the vast majority it will be between 5C and 7C.
Overnight on Sunday is when the milder air will arrive, by the end of the night temperatures in Northern Ireland and western Scotland could be between 9C and 10C, while most places will be between minus 1C and 3C, which is not as cold compared to recent nights.
Next week is set to start with a north and south split with the temperatures and weather, with Northern Ireland and the northern half of the country cloudy with outbreaks patchy rain and between 9C and 12C, while the central and southern areas drier and between 5C and 8C.
Tuesday will be similar, but potentially drier with temperatures between 11-12C in the north and 8-9C in the south.