A WEATHER warning has been issued for much of Scotland with heavy snow said to be on the way.

The Met Office say flurries will bring several inches of snow to Glasgow, Edinburgh and much of the Central Belt, with high ground seeing the worst of the conditions.

The mercury plummeted to minus 12.3C (9.8F) at Loch Glascarnoch in the Scottish Highlands overnight while most parts of the UK dipped below freezing, leaving widespread ice a potential hazard as the country gets moving.

Forecasters have warned of disruption to travel and potential power outages as the day progresses as a band of “severe” weather moves in from the east.

Glasgow Times:

The snow is expected to persist during the day, but temperatures are predicted to slowly improve in time for Hogmanay, though it will still be cold.

Last night, the Scottish Government said its emergency response resilience committee was ready to convene to try to keep the country moving on the last working day of the year.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We are aware of the weather warnings in place and are receiving regular updates from the Met Office and Sepa , as well as being linked in with Transport Scotland.

“Our resilience arrangements stand ready at all times to co-ordinate a response to severe weather issues where required.”

The RAC said it expects to attend “in the region of one breakdown every 10 seconds through the course of Friday”.

The organisation’s traffic spokesman Rod Dennis said: “Some northern regions are set to see further snowfall in the early hours, making driving conditions very difficult if not impossible where the heaviest snowfall occurs.

“Drivers in the areas likely to be affected should consider delaying their journeys if they are not absolutely essential, as some disruption is likely."