SCOTLAND is being warned about a wave of snow - having already been hit by high winds, rain and floods during Frightful February.
Motorists are being warned about rush hour conditions on Monday morning, with up to eight inches of snow expected in some parts of the country.
The Met Office's yellow warning over snow lasts till 10pm on Monday and covers most of Scotland as the big freeze spreads north-eastwards early in the morning.
Both Police Scotland and Transport Scotland have issued cautions about the snow and the potential for travel disruption.
The forecasters says snow may fall to low levels during the morning rush hour across and to the south of the central belt of Scotland, before spreading northwards into the rest of the warning area.
Further north, especially on higher routes above 200 metres, the Met Office say significant accumulations of snow may occur during the afternoon and evening.
READ MORE: Scotland's weather - Warnings over hurricane force winds and flooding for Saturday
Here, up to two inches of snow is likely above 100 to 200 metres whilst above 300 metres four to eight inches of snow may build up.
The Met Office has warned of possible travel delays on roads stranding some vehicles and passengers, and further disruption to rail and air travel.
It said that some rural communities could become cut off and there was a warning that power cuts may occur and that other services such as mobile phone coverage may be affected.
Meanwhile the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency had four flood alerts and five floo d warnings in place at 8.30pm on Sunday for parts of Tayside, west central Scotland, Central, Findhorn, Nairn, Moray and Speyside.
Flooding in and around Loch Lomond Industrial Estate and the Loch Lomond Marina was possible until Sunday night.
The Met Office's Martin Bowles added: "Almost everyone in Scotland will see snow at some point on Monday.
“With this volume of snow on higher routes, we expect this to become a significant event."
Scotland TranServ said that with temperatures falling and snow forecast, 30 gritters would be out overnight.
And BEAR North West began road-clearing duties early, at 2pm today, stating that they would have 45 vehicles out on the roads.
BEAR M80 tweeted: "M80 expected to have some heavy sleet and snow, especially during the morning rush hour.”
Transport Scotland advise travellers to "plan ahead" and said there was a "low likelihood of medium impacts to the transport network due to the significant amounts of snowfall".
A Transport Scotland spokesperson said: “We are being advised by the Met Office to expect significant amounts of snowfall across much of Scotland overnight and into tomorrow morning, in particular in the Central Belt during rush hour, so there is potential for people’s journeys to be disrupted.
“As always, we ask that people check for the very latest information before heading off on their journeys, drive to the conditions and follow any Police Scotland travel advice.
⚠️Yellow Weather Warning issued⚠️#Snow across Scotland through #Monday
— Met Office (@metoffice) February 23, 2020
Stay #WeatherAware
More info 👉 https://t.co/fvBoe86X59 pic.twitter.com/EmdAkSOjNT
“Other modes of transport – ferries, trains and flights may also be disrupted, so we ask people check with their operators before setting out.”
Innspector Greg Dinnie from Police Scotland said: “We are advising motorists who will be travelling in the areas affected by the weather warning to travel with caution; potential snow and disruption is expected, particularly on higher ground.
“Be prepared to slow down and drive at speeds that are appropriate for the conditions. Plan your journey in advance, allow extra time and make sure that your vehicle is adequately prepared.
"You can keep up to date with weather and road information by following The Met Office and Transport Scotland on social media.”
It comes after falling ice and snow forced the closure of the Queensferry Crossing for the first time.
Operators Amey shut the £1.35 billion bridge over the Forth on the night of Monday February 10 amid severe weather and concerns for safety.
Up to eight vehicles were damaged as a result of the ice falls.
It was deemed the bridge was safe to reopen at 10.45am on Wednesday February 12.
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