Commuters are being warned of significant travel disruption as snowfall pushes north.
Yellow weather warnings for snow and rain have been issued by the Met Office for today and tomorrow.
A band of snowfall will push into the region during the early hours of Thursday and become slow-moving before clearing during Friday morning – which may lead to transport disruption.
Some public transport services could be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train.
The snow warning, which came into force at 4am today and will remain in place until lunchtime tomorrow, covers much of the Highlands, Moray and Cairngorms.
The warning for rain covers the eastern edge of Scotland from Fife, up through Tayside and Angus and extends up to Aberdeen and Inverurie. This alert is in force from 6pm tonight until 12pm tomorrow.
There is a small chance of stranded vehicles and passengers.
The weather forecast service is also warning that some rural communities could become isolated with the potential to power cuts and a drop in mobile phone coverage.
A statement said: “A band of snowfall will push northeast into this region during the early hours of Thursday and become slow-moving before clearing during Friday morning.
“Snow may fall to lower elevations for a time with some locations seeing several cm by Friday morning.
“Above 200m elevation significant and prolonged snowfall is possible throughout Thursday before easing on Friday morning with the potential for 15-20 cm to accumulate which may lead to transport disruption.”
What to expect
- Some roads and railways will be affected with longer journey times by road, bus and train services. Some services may be cancelled and there is a small chance of stranded vehicles and passengers.
- There is a slight chance that some rural communities could become cut off
- There is a small chance that power cuts will occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected
Flood alert
Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) are also warning of potential flooding across Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen city centre due to persistent rain on Thursday and Friday morning, coupled with snowmelt from lower levels.
Impacts may include flooding to low-lying land and roads, with difficult driving conditions. Isolated properties may also be at risk.