GLASGOW was on a snow and ice alert today as forecasters predicted more severe weather.

 

Motorists were warned to beware of ice as gales were gradually replaced by wintry showers bringing snow and ice.

A yellow - "be aware" - warning of ice was in place today(FRI) and forecasters said there could be "significant" snow accumulations in parts of Scotland.

Councils stressed that they are ready and prepared for the oncoming wintry conditions, with each local authority identifying priority gritting routes in their winter service plans.

Primary routes will be gritted regularly, especially first thing in the morning and at night, under the plans.

Scotland's depots are filled with about 600,000 tonnes of salt.

Drivers were urged to take care in hazardous conditions on the M8 and M74 during this morning's commute.

A cold weather alert has been issued and a statement said: "This weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services.

"The recent cold and unsettled weather is expected to continue through to the coming weekend.

" A band of rain, and hill snow in the north, is expected during Thursday night.

"There is also a risk of some snow down to lower levels at times in eastern and north-eastern parts.

"Rain and snow will clear early on Friday, leaving bright but cold conditions. Brisk winds will exacerbate the cold feel at times.

"A few wintry showers will follow but any snow accumulations will be mainly restricted to hills."

Meanwhile, a charity respite home for young cancer patients and their families had to be evacuated after being struck by lightning.

Malcolm Sargent House in Prestwick, Ayrshire, was struck at around 11pm on Wednesday and firefighters were called to the scene to assess the damage

A spokesman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: "Some masonry had fallen onto the boiler house roof as well as the ground so our crews cordoned off these areas and checked for any signs of fire or damage."

The Met Office has warned of "unsettled" weather right up to Christmas, with periods of rain and strong winds along with overnight frosts.

Weather warnings remain in place for much of the UK today(FRI) but the mainland has so far survived relatively unscathed.

Power was yesterday restored to thousands of homes left without electricity after gales and lightning strikes swept the north of the country.

Properties in the Western Isles and Skye have been worst affected by the stormy conditions along the west coast of Scotland.

At the peak of the problems, around 30,000 homes lost electricity, while a further 27,000 were cut off after a lightning strike this morning.

Hundreds of engineers worked through the night to restore supplies across the Western Isles, Shetland, Orkney and rural areas.

The process behind the storm - rapid cyclogenesis - is known colloquially as a "weather bomb".

A wind speed of 144mph was recorded on the remote St Kilda islands, with gusts of more than 80mph also hitting some low-lying areas.

Scotland's Deputy First Minister John Swinney praised frontline staff for how they dealt with disruption to travel and power supplies.

He said: "Obviously there has been transport disruption, principally on the ferry network and also on some of the coastal rail services where it's just been unsafe to run trains because of the dangers of the coastal flooding that could have taken place.

"Some alerts remain in place, and we are not out of the woods yet.

"But any necessary repairs and safety checks on the transport network are expected to go ahead as planned."

Elsewhere, planned works on the A90 Brechin Bypass have been postponed because of the weather.

The £280,000 project was due to start next week but has been rearranged for the new year.