Level four corona restrictions will save first footers from venturing out in temperatures of -10C on Thursday night.
The coldest conditions of the winter so far will culminate at midnight on Hogmanay, when thousands would normally gather to celebrate New Year.
Street parties are cancelled and everyone in Tier 3 and Tier 4 – which covers all of Scotland – is banned from visiting another household.
A blast of Arctic air will remain the weather's dominant force until the first few days of January.
The village of Kinbrace in Sutherland recorded the UK's lowest temperature on Monday morning at -6.4C.
Lows of -10C are expected tomorrow and on Thursday nights.
Glasgow and Edinburgh will also remain below freezing, hitting a low of about -2C in the final hours of 2020.
A spokesman for the Met Office said: "Thursday is looking dry and clear, which would otherwise be a good thing if there were any Hogmanay celebrations. But it will be very cold."
