An oil platform was evacuated, a key trunk road closed by blizzards and hundreds of people left without power as atrocious weather battered the north-east yesterday.
Flood gates were raised in at-risk areas as rivers and burns struggled to cope with the deluge and motorist faced driving rain and standing water on scores of roads.
The A96 Aberdeen-Inverness road was closed near Huntly after heavy snow made the route impassable.
In Aberdeen, torrential rain drenched the city and strong winds made driving conditions difficult.
Temperatures dropped to around 2C in the city, causing rain to fall as sleet while gusts of up to 51mph were recorded at Dyce.
About 750 properties in Portlethen were left without electricity for around two hours yesterday after a tree crashed through a high-voltage power line.
A spokeswoman for Scottish Hydro Electric said: “Our engineers attended the scene and removed the tree before fixing the cable.
“The incident happened at around noon and all those affected were reconnected by 2pm.”
Flights to Scatsta and Sumburgh from Aberdeen International Airport were cancelled or delayed by severe weather on the isles, with 50mph winds recorded at both the north terminals.
In Stonehaven, locals raised the flood gates as both the rivers Carron and Cowie rose steadily throughout the day.
Police said surface water on roads was the biggest concern, with the A948 Auchnagatt-New Deer and B9106 Maud routes particularly bad.
Flooding also hit the A96 close to the airport roundabout in Aberdeen.
Snow gates were closed at the Glenshee Ski Centre on the A93 between Braemar and Spittal of Glenshee and at Cairn O’ Mount on the B947 between Banchory and Fettercairn.
Snowsports centres in the Highlands were closed because of the ferocious winds. Forecasters warned more severe weather would hit the region today as temperatures continue to plummet.
A Met Office spokesman said: “Rain, heavy at times, can be expected across the north-east of Scotland.
“Temperatures will struggle to get much above 5C, meaning that sleet is again a risk in many places, falling as snow on higher ground. Winds could reach upwards of 30mph along the coast.”