Scotland is bracing for significant snowfall as the Met Office issues two yellow weather warnings across large swathes of the country, impacting travel and raising concerns about potential flooding.
The primary warning, effective from midnight on Tuesday until 3pm on Wednesday, covers a vast area stretching north from Stirling to include Perth, Aviemore, Inverness, Fife, the Highlands, and extending as far as the Orkney Islands.
A separate alert has been issued for the Shetland Islands, commencing at 6pm on Tuesday and remaining until Wednesday evening. The west and north-west regions are unaffected.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has also issued a flood warning for the Churchill Barriers area of the Orkney Islands.
Sepa cautioned about possible localised flooding in parts of Tayside and Angus, though no official warnings are in place.
A spokesperson stated: "Localised coastal impacts are possible in Orkney and up the east coast from high wave overtopping at times of high tide. Localised river flooding impacts are also possible in eastern Tayside and Angus resulting in flooding to low lying land and roads."
The anticipated severe weather is expected to cause widespread travel disruption.
Ferry operator CalMac has announced yellow and amber warnings for potential cancellations and delays. ScotRail has urged passengers to verify their travel plans in advance.
On X, the railway operator advised: "If you’re travelling tomorrow or Wednesday, please check your journey on our website, app or visit us at http://journeycheck.com/scotrail/ as we’re expecting snow across parts of the country. We plan to run a full service but some disruption is possible."
The flood warning to Scotland comes just days after Storm Chandra affected several parts of the UK, with schools closing and transport badly disrupted as a result of the adverse weather.
Yellow weather warnings were also issued in Devon and Cornwall last week.
