Freeze a jolly cold Sunday: After snow comes the big chill

Snow that blanketed much of Scotland yesterday will turn to freezing ice today as the country continues to shiver.

The Met Office warned that snow and heavy rain would freeze overnight, resulting in treacherous conditions for drivers and pedestrians.

A Met Office warning for ice is in place until 9.30am this morning for inland Scotland. Showers will continue later today, turning wintry on the hills. The only glimmer of hope will come on Thursday, when the eastern half of Scotland will enjoy spells of sunshine and a high of 16˚C.

Met Office forecaster Marco Petagna said: “The new week sees a real split between the north-west and south-east of Scotland.

“Between midday on Wednesday and the same time on Thursday, the west could see two inches of rain in 24 hours. By contrast, we could be looking at temperatures of 15 or 16˚C in Aberdeen.”

The sub-zero conditions come after a chilly and blustery day yesterday. At 2pm, the mercury in Glasgow and Aviemore did not rise above 2˚C while at Thrieve, Kirkcudbrightshire, the temperature was 10˚C.

The chilly conditions led to road chaos as emergency services dealt with a spate of accidents.

At Newton Mearns, in East Renfrewshire, a multiple pile-up on a slip road of the northbound M77 caused a traffic jam. At Stepps, in North Lanarkshire, a car veered off the M8 and collided with a tree.

The B974 Banchory to Fettercairn road was closed at both ends.

Meanwhile, several accidents were caused when drivers skidded into the central reservation of routes, including the A9 at Blackford and the M80 southbound at Junction 7, Haggs.

In the afternoon, the M8 eastbound was brought to a standstill after a serious crash at Junction 4, Whitburn.

As string of senior football matches was called off, including the Premiership clash at McDiarmid Park in Perth between St Johnstone and St Mirren.

Meanwhile, flooding on the line at Garrowhill in Glasgow also forced ScotRail to introduce replacement bus services on routes.