THE Met Office has issued a severe weather warning for snow and ice which is expected to affect most of Scotland this weekend.

There's not much to cheer about if you're planning on tackling your Christmas shopping list as the warning is in place from midnight on Friday until 6pm on Saturday.

Snow showers are expected to become increasingly frequent across many parts of Scotland on Friday with forecasters predicting 2-5cm of the white stuff in Glasgow and 10-20cm on higher ground.

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Icy surfaces are also likely to be an additional hazard, especially overnight. Strong winds may cause drifting snow in places with blizzard conditions possible across northern Scotland. 

As if that wasn't grim enough, winds of up to 80mph are expected on Thursday as Storm Caroline hits the north of the UK.

A Met Office statement said: "Storm Caroline is expected to bring a spell of very windy weather to northern Scotland on Thursday.

"Road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, with longer journey times and cancellations possible. Some short-term loss of power and other services is possible.

"It is likely that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities will be affected by spray and/or large waves."

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Forecasters said that some gusts could be strong enough to bring down power cables.

We want Santa and his reindeer prancing across the sky at this time of year - not the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse!