A weather warning for heavy snow and ice has been extended into next week as the first Arctic blast of the year battered swathes of the country.
The icy start to 2026 comes as the Met Office confirmed that last year was officially the warmest year on record for Scotland.
An amber warning for snow is already in place until noon today for parts of the Highlands, Moray, Aberdeenshire, Angus and Perthshire, where more than a foot was expected to fall in just 24 hours.
Aboyne in Aberdeenshire recorded the highest snowfall total north of the Border yesterday at almost six inches (14cm), while 4.7inches (12cm) fell in Loch Glascarnoch, Ross-shire.
Meanwhile, the coldest overnight temperature was -5.7C in Drumnadrochit, Inverness-shire – with lows of -12C forecast for tonight. In contrast, parts of southern Russia are only expected to dip to -2C.
A further amber warning for snow came into effect at midnight covering Orkney and Shetland, and also ends at noon today.
Forecasters have warned of power cuts, mobile outages and a chance that communities could become cut off due to the hazardous conditions.
A snow plough tackles drifts in Alford, Aberdeenshire, yesterday
Derek Muirden clears the snow outside his home in the village which is around 26 miles west of Aberdeen
But as Scots prepare to return to work and school after the festive break there looks to be no let-up in the wintry conditions with the prolonged showers expected to bring further accumulations and risk of travel disruption into next week.
The Met Office has therefore extended a yellow alert for snow and ice until noon on Monday, covering the north and north-east as well as parts of Argyll and Bute, Stirling and West Dunbartonshire.
Chief forecaster Neil Armstrong said: ‘With Arctic air now covering most of the UK, very cold weather will continue through the weekend, with minus double figures overnight in places and daytime temperatures struggling to rise above 0C for some.’
He added that the wintry conditions ‘could last well into next week’ with more weather warnings possible. ‘It is therefore important people keep up to date with the latest forecast and warnings and plan ahead,’ he added.
Drifting conditions and blizzards have already caused travel disruption across northern regions, leading to a number of roads closures and vehicles stuck and stranded on routes across the network yesterday.
Several others were down to one lane while some were only passable with care despite an army of snowploughs and gritters trying to keep them open.
Quad bikes fitted with plough were drafted in to clear the snow after the weather turned after Hogmanay
Motorists faced treacherous conditions as the blizzards showed no sign of letting up
Some ferry sailings were also axed due to strong winds and sea swell, while heavy snow on the Far North Line meant there were no trains serving Thurso, Caithness, yesterday, with disruption expected until at least this evening. Several flights from Aberdeen Airport were also cancelled due to the wintry conditions. With whiteout conditions due to continue across much of the country, Police Scotland urged motorists to plan ahead.
Chief Superintendent Scott McCarren, head of road policing, said: ‘The forecasted heavy and persistent snow showers and ice mean it is likely for driving conditions to become hazardous in some areas and our advice is to plan ahead and consider if your journey is really necessary during the warning periods.
‘If you need to travel, please drive to the conditions, be prepared for delays and allow extra time for your journey.’
He also advised motorists not to drive through road closures as these are ‘done for public safety.’
The Met Office said lightning and freezing fog were also possible, with hard overnight frosts.
But it added snow showers would become less frequent by Monday.
