Parts of Scotland are expected to be battered by blizzards as temperatures look set to plummet towards the end of the week.
The Met Office has said the weather is likely to remain the same as it has been this week on Wednesday - with wet and windy conditions to dominate the forecast across the country.
But from Thursday, it is set to be all change as a cold weather front sweeps in from the west of the country.
The front will bring ‘very intense rain’ and high winds across many parts of the country.
Temperatures will dip further on Friday which could bring blizzards and icy conditions across large parts of Scotland.
But the wintry conditions are set to be short lived, with the Met Office’s Alex Deakin forecasting the ‘wintry blast’ to be brief.
He explained: “This weather front is going to be pretty active later on Thursday, getting into western Scotland and Northern Ireland during the day.
“There will be a narrow band of very intense rain and winds will suddenly whip up as that weather front moves in.
“It turns much colder on Thursday night with a much fresher feel on Friday, a more wintry feel you might say - still windy and showers coming in and turning more and more wintry through Thursday night and Friday, initially over the hills of Scotland.
“We could see some snow coming in and certainly plenty over the hills. It could mean blizzards and a potential for icy conditions as well.
“The cold spell for Friday is not expected to last long.”
The news comes after days of high winds of up to 90mph brought much of Scotland on its knees earlier in the week.
Homes were left without power and transport services were heavily disrupted following Storm Malik and Storm Corrie.
Temperatures remained mild during this spell, with the thermostat peaking into the double figures in a number of areas.
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