Harsh weather may hit Glasgow as severe weather warnings for snow and ice come into force across much of the country.
The Met Office has issued a warning of snow stretching from the Highlands through Glasgow and Edinburgh between 10am and 4pm today and a separate alert for snow and ice between 8pm and 11am tomorrow.
Meanwhile, in some coastal areas, there is a chance of thundersnow - a combination of thunderstorms and snow.
As winter begins to bite after a record-breaking mild new year, temperatures in the early hours of this morning could feel as cold as -4C in Glasgow, with snow showers and lightning strikes today and tomorrow.
Forecasters said many areas would see one to two hours of snow, with a risk of temporary slushy accumulations above 100-150m, with snow leading to difficult travel conditions.
As much as 10cm of snow could fall on the highest ground, as well as the risk of dangerous icy patches and of lightning strikes from isolated thunderstorms. On higher routes, strong winds could lead to drifting and temporary blizzard conditions.
What are the Met Office saying?
TheMet Office said: "Frequent wintry showers arriving from the west during Thursday evening and overnight are likely to lead to a fresh covering of snow for areas above 200m (mainly around 2-5 cm, possibly as much as 10 cm over highest ground where showers are most frequent).
"Falling snow below this level may cause some temporary slushy accumulations which then may freeze and cause dangerous, icy patches where skies remain clear for long enough.
"Winds will be gusty around heavier showers and there is also a risk of lightning strikes from isolated thunderstorms in some coastal districts."
What is thundersnow and how does it happen?
Thundersnow is a thunderstorm that produces snow instead of rain.
The Met Office explain that the prospect of thundersnow is driven by the same conditions which cause thunder in the summer; the difference in temperature between the ground and the air surrounding it.
Grahame Madge, spokesman at the Met Office said: "As conditions get cold, we're seeing temperatures drop down to freezing quite widely. As we get the cold air, that will bring the temperatures right down, we've got the weather front coming in from the west and that moisture is going to bump into the cold air and where you get that you will get snow."
"Because you have got that differential it's possible, quite easily, for warm air at ground level when it heats up to start to rise very quickly up through the cold air and that's what creates the potential for thunderstorms, so we are likely to see along with the other wintery showers, likely to see hail and snow," he said.
Will you be able to see and hear it?
If you keep your eyes peeled, you may be able to spot it later on. When thundersnow occurs at night the lightning appears brighter - this is because the light reflects off the snowflakes.
It might be harder to hear, however. Thundersnow is not meteorologically different to thunder in the summer and is often very atmospheric, but the snow can dampen the sound of the thunder.
The thunder from a typical thunderstorm might be heard many miles away, but during a thundersnow event it is likely you'll only hear it if you are within two to three miles of the lightning.
View the forecast in full on the Met Office website.
