Scotland braced for chill factor - WalesOnline

Scotland is bracing itself for disruption on the way into work, as snow and sleet was predicted in time for Tuesday morning rush hour in the country's two biggest cities.

Snow and wintery showers were forecast to descend on Glasgow and Edinburgh, with severe weather warnings issued for most of the country.

The snow started falling in the Highlands and Grampian on Monday night, and was expected to move south overnight.

Motorists were warned to take extra care because of snow and ice on the roads.

Forecasters said as much as 5-10cm (1.9-3.9 inches) of snow could fall in places, with 20cm (7.8 inches) expected on higher ground.

Aisling Creevey, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association said commuters could expect a chilly return to work on Tuesday morning. She said snow was expected to fall across the Central Belt throughout the morning, with temperatures dipping as low as -5C overnight.

A cold front was expected to move south from the north-east of Scotland, bring snow and wintery showers to Perth and Kinross, Strathclyde and the Lothian and Borders areas.

The Met Office said between five and 10 centimetres of snow was likely away from the coast in the northern half of Scotland and the higher parts of the Central Belt, with between one and four centimetres expected on lower ground in the Central Belt.

Severe weather warnings from the Met Office for Orkney, Shetland, south-west Scotland and Lothian and Borders are "yellow" which means "be prepared". Amber warnings meaning "take action" apply to the Highlands, Western Isles, Grampian, Strathclyde, Tayside, Fife and Central Scotland.

The Scottish Government said preparations are under way to cope with the weather and advised people to check travel bulletins. Their multi-agency response team has been activated and will operate until the rush-hour period is over.