Scotland set to shiver as Arctic air sweeps in with snow and ice warnings

Temperatures could drop below minus 10 degrees centigrade in northern parts of the country.

06 December 2022

People in Scotland have been warned to expect snow and ice later this week as Arctic air sweeps in, with temperatures likely to drop below zero.

Overnight temperatures could plunge below minus 10C over higher ground and could hover not far above zero during the daytime.

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings of snow and ice for northern Scotland on Wednesday and Thursday.

It warns that 2-5cm of snow is possible at lower levels, with 5-10 cm above 200 metres, and said that drifting and blizzard conditions are likely in the strong northerly winds.

Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said: “We could see temperatures of minus 10 (centigrade) and even lower in parts of Scotland, especially over higher ground where there is lying snow which can drive temperatures down.

“Even daytime temperatures will be struggling to stay above freezing in some places towards the end of the week.”

He added: “The air flow is coming from a northern direction and is bringing an Arctic maritime airmass which is bringing these cold conditions.”

Temperatures last dropped below minus 10 in Scotland in December 2020 when they fell to -10.2C in Dalwhinnie, in the Highlands, while in December 2017 a temperature of -13C was recorded in the same place.

The coldest December night on record was on December 30 1995 when the temperature fell to minus 27.2C at Altnaharra, also in the Highlands.

Scotland’s cities are likely to experience low temperatures by the end of the week, with Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh shivering at about 1C and 2C.

The weather warning covers Angus, Perth and Kinross, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, the Highlands, Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland and Argyll and Bute.