The whole of Scotland is now expected to see some form of snow in the next 24 hours as winter bites
10:03, 05 Jan 2026Updated 10:25, 05 Jan 2026
Glasgow has been issued with a snow warning(Image: ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Scotland’s two biggest cities are among 22 Scottish areas to have been placed under a fresh snow warning. Glasgow and Edinburgh have been warned of travel disruption as thousands head back to work for just the second day after the Christmas break.
Ice will present another hazard, with injuries from slips and falls possible, while untreated roads will make driving difficult. The Met Office warning lasts from midnight until 11am on Tuesday, January 6, covering the early morning rush-hour.
The yellow warning covers much of the south of the country and means all of Scotland is under some form of snow warning over the next 24 hours. The alert area also covers parts of northern England. The Met Office said: “An area of mainly light snow will move east across southern Scotland into northern England on Tuesday morning before largely fading and clearing during Tuesday afternoon.
“A few heavier bursts are possible over the Southern Uplands, the Lake District and the northern Pennines. Most places will see no more than 1-2cm of snow but a few places over higher ground in the Lake District, northern Pennines and Southern Uplands may see up to 5cm.
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“This will fall onto frozen surfaces resulting in some icy conditions and could lead to some disruption, particularly to travel over higher routes in the north of the warning area.” The Met Office said: “Some roads and railways likely to be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train services.”
The 22 regions affected by the warning are:
- Clackmannanshire
- Falkirk
- Fife
- Stirling
- Dumfries and Galloway
- East Lothian
- Edinburgh
- Midlothian Council
- Scottish Borders
- West Lothian
- Argyll and Bute
- East Ayrshire
- East Dunbartonshire
- East Renfrewshire
- Glasgow
- Inverclyde
- North Ayrshire
- North Lanarkshire
- Renfrewshire
- South Ayrshire
- South Lanarkshire
- West Dunbartonshire
Scotland is in the grip of winter with every area now under a snow and ice warning(Image: Met Office)
It comes as a yellow warning in northern Scotland was updated, with the Met Office saying the “likelihood of impacts has increased, particularly across central and northern mainland Scotland”. Up to 5cm is expected widely with 15cm falling on ground over 200 metres.
The warning lasts until 11.59pm on Tuesday. Much of northern Scotland is already covered in snow with the Moray village of Timontoul recording snow depth of over 50cm by Sunday. The yellow warning covers:
- Angus
- Clackmannanshire
- Dundee
- Fife
- Perth and Kinross
- Stirling
- Aberdeen
- Aberdeenshire
- Moray
- Na h-Eileanan Siar
- Highland
- Orkney Islands
- Shetland Islands
- Argyll and Bute
Another yellow warning for snow and ice running until 11am on Tuesday is in place for the Borders and East Lothian. It comes as two amber alerts in the north expired at 10am on Monday.
Schools have been shut in Shetland, Orkney, the Western Isles, and Aberdeenshire with many in Moray also closed. On the transport network, Network Rail Scotland said the Aberdeen-Dundee, Aberdeen-Inverness, Inverness-Wick/Thurso and Inverness-Kyle of Lochalsh services are unlikely to run until midday, due to heavy and drifting snow.
Loganair cancelled flights from Aberdeen and Inverness airports following heavy snowfall.
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