Snow and ice hit parts of Scotland
Liam Dutton
Weather Presenter
Parts of Scotland have been hit by heavy snowfall just a week after experiencing summer-like warmth and record-breaking maximum temperatures for March.
Northern parts of Scotland were worst affected, with snow starting yesterday evening and falling for much of the night, leaving 3,000 customers without power in the Aboyne and Elgin areas.
The hills and mountains had the most snow with 19cm lying on the ground at Aviemore at 6am on Tuesday. At lower levels, the snow struggled to accumulate heavily, with 5cm reported at Aberdeen.
Whilst there was no major disruption, some higher routes in Highland were hit by the wintry weather. The A939 Grantown-on-Spey to Dava and the B9007 Carrbridge to Ferness were closed and according to the Traffic Scotland website, the snow gates were shut on the A93 at Braemar.
Four people were taken to hospital after a car left the road on the A90 at Brechin and came to rest in a ditch. A number of minor collisions were also reported in Tayside and Fife where some cars got stuck in the snow and ice in the Largoward and St Monans area.
Police said that driving conditions were difficult and advised people to take extra care and allow additional time for their journeys.
The wintry mix of rain, sleet and snow arrived across Scotland’s central belt on Tuesday morning, although away from higher hills the snow didn’t manage to settle on the ground.
Scottish Transport Minister Keith Brown told BBC Radio Scotland: “This kind of weather is much more normal for Scotland than the superb weather we have had over the previous days. So we have had, for example, 124 gritters out overnight.”
The wintry weather is expected to push southwards during Tuesday and overnight into Wednesday, accompanied by a strong and cold north easterly wind.
Snow will largely be confined to the hills and mountains of northern England and Wales, where as much as 5-10cm could fall. At low levels, rain and sleet is more likely, although there is a risk of ice as temperatures fall to freezing or below.
This sudden return to winter, however, is going to be short lived, with milder air spreading across the UK by the end of the week. Temperatures will be back to the April average of 10-14C.