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.