Scotland will be battered by thundersnow over the coming days, the Met Office has warned.
The weather agency has issued a ‘danger to life’ yellow weather warning for snow and wind for much of the country from 6am tomorrow morning until 3pm the following day.
Forecasters say that as much as 12 inches of the wintry showers may fall during the 33-hour spell.
Winds of up to 70mph are also expected to batter much of Scotland, which could lead to blizzard conditions over higher parts of the country.
The Met Office has also suggested that the snow could also be accompanied by “frequent lightning” in parts.
Temperatures are also expected to dip “sharply” overnight on Wednesday, with the thermostat struggling to reach above freezing in most parts of Scotland.
Scots have been warned of the potential travel chaos that the conditions could bring, while flying debris could also cause injuries.
Power cuts may also affect a number of Scotland and some rural communities may even become cut off during the adverse weather.
The yellow Met Office warning reads: “Temperatures across Scotland and Northern Ireland are expected to drop sharply following a squally band of rain on Wednesday, with frequent heavy and blustery snow showers arriving from the Atlantic.
“Away from immediate west-facing coasts, 2-5cm, and in place 7-10cm of snow is likely to build up even at low levels, whereas on higher ground some places could see 20-30cm building up by Thursday morning.
“The showers will be accompanied by strong, blustery winds, with gusts of 50-60mph possible, and a small chance of 70mph on coasts.
“Blizzard conditions are likely over ground. There is a very small chance that some of the showers could be accompanied by frequent lightning, which may could impact power supplies.
“Snow showers are increasingly likely to turn back to rain and sleet at low levels after Thursday morning and early afternoon, although remaining as snow above 200-300m.”
A further yellow weather warning has also been issued for south east Scotland tomorrow, as forecasters anticipate strong winds of up to 60mph to batter the region.
This warning will come into force from 6am on Wednesday until 3pm later that day.
The two new weather warnings come after Scotland was struck by three named storms in just a matter of days.
Storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin caused chaos across the country - with public transport services heavily disrupted and some schools even closing.
Gladys, which is the next name on the Met Office’s storms list, has yet to be named by the weather agency.
What to expect during weather warnings
- There is a small chance of injuries and danger to life from flying debris
- There is a slight chance of some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs
- There is a small chance of longer journey times or cancellations as road, rail, air and ferry services are affected. There is also a chance some vehicles and passengers could become stranded.
- There is a slight chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage
- There is a small chance that some roads and bridges could close
- There is a slight chance that some rural communities could become cut off
