BBC
Several inches of snow have fallen in Aberdeen
Hundreds of schools are shut and travel has been severely disrupted after heavy snowfall across parts of northern Scotland.
Amber weather warnings are in place until 10:00 on Monday following several days of freezing conditions.
Drifting snow and ice have left road, rail and air travel impossible in certain areas of the mainland including Aberdeen, Angus, Aberdeenshire, Moray and The Highlands, while the Orkney and Shetland Islands have also been badly affected.
The Met Office warned that another 5-10cm (2-4ins) of snow could fall fairly widely in the north east, Highlands and Northern Isles while a few places on the mainland could possibly see 20-30cm (8-12ins).
A separate yellow weather warning for snow and ice is in place for most of the country until the end of Monday.
Temperatures overnight in the Highlands fell as low as -9.3C at Tulloch Bridge.
Christopher Blanchett looks ahead at the weather forecast for the coming days
Gritting lorries are out in force across the country to treat roads as thousands return to work and school after the Christmas break.
Bear Scotland said its full fleet of 115 vehicles would be deployed in the north west and south east of the country.
Euan Scott, from the firm’s north west unit, said it was doing all it could to keep routes passable despite “very challenging weather conditions”.
“We are working closely with partner organisations, and our winter fleet is fully deployed and will continue to treat North West trunk roads in an effort to keep them open to traffic.”
He also reminded road users that even after the amber warning is lifted, a yellow warning for snow and ice would remain in place until Tuesday night.
Amey, which covers the north east of the country, also said it was working at full capacity to keep traffic moving.
Tomintoul in the Cairngorms reported about 50cm (19.6in) of snow was lying in the village on Sunday evening.
In Aberdeenshire, all schools are closed on Monday, while in Aberdeen, more than 20 have said they will be shut after initially delaying opening until at least 11:00.
Meanwhile, more than 60 schools and nurseries across Moray have announced they will remain closed.
Nurseries and schools in Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles are also shut until further notice.
Jim Savege, chief executive of Aberdeenshire Council, said about 200 staff had been deployed to clear roads in the region on Monday morning.
He told the BBC’s Radio Scotland Breakfast that 44 road gritters and 47 foot way gritters were involved in the operation, but some villages were “cut off completely”.
Savege said the decision to close schools had been “unusual” but added: “We don’t want people to be having to travel unnecessarily across the network at the moment.
“I’ve been speaking to some of our pupils yesterday and they are disappointed not to be in school, but I’m sure they’ll be able to get back in soon.”
Bear Scotland
Workers from Bear Scotland working on Sunday to clear the A835 in the Highlands
Aberdeen Airport is open, but flights to destinations including Amsterdam, Dublin and London Heathrow have been cancelled.
Sumburgh Airport in Shetland is set to remain closed, as is Kirkwall Airport in Orkney.
Ferry services have not been affected by the conditions.
Network Rail Scotland
Network Rail posted this image of the line at Achnasheen on Sunday to explain why the Kyle of Lochalsh line was closed.
ScotRail said “route proving” was under way on Monday morning but some services are unlikely to operate until Monday afternoon.
The operator said services along the Highland Main Line, between Inverness and Perth, was running.
But those between Aberdeen and Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness and the Inverness – Kyle of Lochalsh/Wick routes were likely to be affected, it said.
Network Rail, which maintains the infrastructure, said trains could not run safely in snow depths exceeding 30cm (12ins) unless fitted with snow ploughs.
Appealing for patience, its route director Ross Moran said: “Safety of our passengers and our colleagues is our top priority.
“We’ll only reopen lines and return to normal operations once we’re confident it’s safe to do so”.
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