The Met Office has issued a string of four Amber warnings for snow are in force across parts of the northern half of Scotland.
These are complemented by a series of Yellow warnings for snow and ice across many parts of the UK from Scotland and Northern Ireland to parts of Wales and England.
Matthew Lehnert is a Met Office Chief Meteorologist. He said: “As we begin the first full working week of the year, we face a range of winter weather hazards with snow showers and ice.
“In the north of Scotland, snow showers are expected to become more frequent on Sunday night with some locations within the Amber warning areas seeing a further 20-30 cm accumulate by Monday morning.
“Elsewhere in the UK, snow showers, ice and frost are expected at times but milder air will make attempts to spread eastward from Tuesday.
“This will mean rain becomes more likely in the south, but there is also the possibility of more organised snow along the boundary of the mild and cold airmasses. Strong winds could also be a feature later in the week.”
The forecaster said ti is likely that the forecast will evolve and therefore important people keep up to date with the latest forecast and warnings and plan ahead.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, Head of Extreme Events and Health Protection at UKHSA, said: “As the colder weather sets in it is vital to check in on friends, family and neighbours that are most vulnerable.
“The forecast temperatures can have a serious impact on the health of some people, leading to increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections, particularly for individuals over the age of 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions.”
George Fiddes from Transport Scotland said: “Particularly cold weather is expected this week which is likely to impact driving conditions in the areas covered by the yellow warning, so our advice to motorists is to plan your journey, leave extra time if needed and drive to the conditions.
“The Traffic Scotland website gives people access to the latest information on the trunk road network and the Traffic Scotland X/Twitter page is also updated regularly so you can check if your route is available before setting off.
“There may also be disruption on other modes of transport, so please check with your operator before setting off if you’re planning to travel by rail, ferry or air.”
