MORE areas of Scotland are expected to be hit by the first serious snowfalls of winter today, with warnings issued about possible travel disruption.
Rain predicted yesterday for the Highlands and Islands was set to turn into sleet and snow on higher ground overnight as the weather system coming in from the Atlantic met the cold air which has settled over Scotland in recent days.
Forecasters are predicting a few centimetres of snow for the region just north of Glasgow and Edinburgh, and they have warned that it could affect roads and transport services during this morning’s rush hour. Further flurries of snow could hit over the following days, but are not expected to cause problems.
Met Office forecaster Helen Roberts said yesterday: “There are a few batches of snow possible in Scotland. The first one is through this evening and overnight, with a few centimetres of lying snow by the end of the night
“It’s fairly standard stuff for this time of year and we’re not anticipating putting any weather warnings out, but it could lead to some disruption in the morning.”
She added: “A few more centimetres of snow could fall into [tomorrow] in northern Scotland, with more snow in similar areas on Wednesday.”
Another bulletin from The Met Office said: “Do take care if you are on the roads [this] morning.”
The outlook for tomorrow into Thursday is unsettled, with more rain, and it will be windy at times, with a risk of gales or severe gales on Thursday.
The threat of snow has already fuelled speculation about a white Christmas, and while it is officially far too early to predict where snow will fall on Christmas Day, that hasn’t stopped the bookmakers putting together their markets for this hardy annual betting extravaganza.
Ladbrokes is offering odds of just 2/1 on Edinburgh and Glasgow having a white Christmas.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here