Weather expert reveals Scotland gripped by surging Arctic air as country braces for another day of blizzard & ice hell

STV weatherman Sean Batty has revealed that Scotland is currently gripped by surging Arctic air – with more snow and ice on the way.

It comes as the Met Office issued a fresh yellow weather warning today.

Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter

Thank you!

Scotland is currently gripped by surging Arctic air – with more snow and ice on the wayCredit: Getty

Heavy flurries have disrupted travel across the countryCredit: Getty

The weather agency is predicting that snow and ice will batter the country tomorrow between midnight and 11am.

Heavy flurries have disrupted travel in the north of the country, with hundreds of schools closed due to the wintry conditions.

But STV weatherman Sean Batty has revealed why Scotland is seeing so much snow and freezing temperatures.

He explains that spells of cold and snowy weather in some parts of the country are “becoming increasingly rare”.

But Scots aren’t the only ones dealing with colder-than-average temperatures.

Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, central Europe, Turkey – and even Iraq and Syria are being affected by colder conditions.

On the other hand, some regions are experiencing much milder temperatures including Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, central Russia, much of the US, eastern Canada and Greenland.

Sean added: “During winter, as the Arctic falls into 24-hour darkness, extreme cold builds over the Pole.

Most read in The Scottish Sun

“This helps to create a fast-flowing ribbon of air high above the Arctic known as the polar vortex. It acts like a ring of ice, keeping the cold air locked over the Pole.

“When the winds within the polar vortex weaken, that cold air can escape southwards into parts of Europe and the US.

“And this is the key point: this winter, the polar vortex has never really got going properly.

“Instead of being a tightly spinning system, it has been wobbling – allowing repeated surges of Arctic air to spill south in recent weeks.

“While the polar vortex will attempt to strengthen again in the coming days and pull some of the cold back north, it looks set to weaken once more next week. That raises the risk of another cold outbreak later in January and into February.”

Sean revealed that this increases the likelihood of further wintry conditions.

In Aberdeen city, dozens of schools were closed for the day after opening was initially delayed until 11am.

The weather has disrupted rail travel with the Inverness to Wick/Thurso, Inverness to Kyle, Inverness to Aberdeen and Aberdeen to Dundee lines shut after heavy snow drifts on the tracks.

A yellow weather warning for snow and ice has been issued for the whole countryCredit: PA

Forecasters predict that a further 2-5cm of snow is likely to fall fairly widely on TuesdayCredit: Getty

Loganair cancelled flights from Aberdeen and Inverness airports following heavy snowfall, while a number of flights to and from Sumburgh Airport in Shetland were cancelled as were several departures from Kirkwall Airport in Orkney.

On the roads motorists faced difficult driving conditions.

The A90 was closed between Goval and Craibstone at Bogenjoss because of weather conditions, while snow gates were closed on the A939 between Cock Bridge and Tomintoul.

Meanwhile the A9 south of Berridale will be shut from 9am to 11am on Tuesday so a Royal Mail lorry can be recovered.

A Met Office map shows a yellow weather warning for ScotlandCredit: Met Office

Infrastructure firm Amey said all 27 trunk routes in the south west of the country will receive “double salt treatments” at 1pm and 1am throughout most of the week, while all 15 patrol gritters will remain on the network continuously.

On Tuesday forecasters predict that a further 2-5cm of snow is likely to fall fairly widely, with the possibility of a further 10-15cm in some areas.

From the central belt southwards forecasters predict an area of “mainly light snow” with most places likely to see no more than 1-2cm.

A Met Office amber warning of heavy snow showers covering Shetland, Orkney and parts of the Highlands and Aberdeenshire expired at 10am on Monday.