Megan Bonarand
Katy Scott,BBC Scotland
Getty Images
Clearing the heavy snowfall in Huntly in Aberdeenshire
Fresh weather warnings for ice and snow have been issued covering all of Scotland on Tuesday, as hundreds of schools remain closed in the north of the country.
A Met Office alert has been upgraded to amber in parts of the north until 19:00, while in central and southern areas a yellow warning is in place until 11:00. The lowest temperature overnight was -11.2C recorded at Dalwhinnie.
Disruption on roads and the railway network is expected to continue as transport operators work to clear routes in severe wintry conditions.
Aberdeenshire, Orkney and Shetland councils said schools would remain closed, while most in Aberdeen and Moray are also closed.
Transport Scotland said that within the amber warning area a further 2-4in (5-10cm) of snow is expected, with 6in (15cm) on higher ground above 656ft (200m).
First Minister John Swinney said there had been a “huge effort to keep transport moving and public services open”.
Bear Scotland
A crashed Royal Mail lorry on the A9 near Caithness
The Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGORR) met on Monday to discuss recovery efforts and preparations for the days ahead.
Swinney said: “Impacts will continue to be felt in the coming days and I would encourage everyone to plan ahead, look out for each other and pay close attention to the weather and travel advice available.”
On the roads, Bear Scotland said that the A9 south of Berridale would be closed from 09:00 to 11:00 for the recovery of a Royal Mail lorry that crashed on Monday.
In the north east, maintenance operator Amey continues to clear routes.
It said that all 27 trunk routes in the south west of the country would receive double salt treatments at 13:00 and 01:00 throughout the week.
All of Scotland is covered by a snow warning, upgraded to Amber in some northern areas
Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell said: “Heavy snow and ice means driving conditions are likely to continue to be hazardous in some areas.
“Our advice is to plan ahead and consider if your journey is really necessary.”
Aberdeenshire Council says many routes are only passable with extreme care.
Trains, planes and buses disrupted
Buses in the north east are facing delays, with many services cancelled.
Stagecoach said its Orkney bus services are suspended until 10:00.
Anyone travelling is urged to check their full journey in advance.
On the railway, Network Rail has been working to clear heavy snowdrifts blocking lines across northern Scotland.
Multiple snowploughs have been deployed across affected lines with specialist teams working to remove snow and ice.
The route between Aberdeen and Dundee has reopened and services are returning to normal on the Inverness to Elgin and Inverness to Wick/Thurso lines.
However, services from Inverness to Aberdeen and Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh remain closed, as are the routes between Aberdeen, Montrose and Inverurie.
Network Rail advised passengers to check their journeys.
Network Rail Scotland’s route programme director Gary Hopkirk said teams were dealing with “exceptionally deep snow and severe weather conditions”.
He added: “Deep snow can pose a serious risk to the railway, and when snow depth exceeds 30cm, trains can’t run safely unless fitted with snow ploughs.
“Our teams are working as hard as they can, however, in some parts the snowdrifts are forming as quickly as we’re clearing them.”
Mark Ilderton of ScotRail said the majority of its routes remained open despite “challenging” weather conditions in the north of the country.
He added: “Conditions can change quickly, so we’d encourage customers to plan ahead and check their journey before travelling.”
LNER has advised anyone travelling between Edinburgh and Aberdeen not to attempt to travel until 14:00 on Tuesday.
A power failure caused by ice has led to services on the Glasgow Subway being suspended on both the inner and outer circles.
Aberdeen International Airport reopened on Monday night but several flights have been cancelled and people are urged to check their airline for updates.
Many flights at Sumburgh Airport in Shetland have been delayed, while Kirkwall Airport flights are expected to run on time.
BBC Weather Watcher/Wendy
Aberdeen has seen large dumps of snow since the new year
It was a freezing start in Shetland
In Dumfries and Galloway, the Douglas Ewart High School in Newton Stewart was shut as a result of a heating failure, affecting hundreds of pupils. The site is expected to reopen on Wednesday.
Elsewhere, confirmed Pittodrie Stadium would remain closed to visitors on Tuesday.
The team has an away tie, travelling to Ibrox to play Rangers, with kick-off at 20:00.
said their Premiership match against St Mirren would be subject to a pitch inspection at 10:30.
Forecasters have said a further 2-5cm of snow is likely to fall fairly widely on Tuesday, 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.
