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Arctic blast could cause travel choas in the north

Snow at the Slochd on the A9 yesterday
Snow at the Slochd on the A9 yesterday

THE north is on full alert for an Arctic blast of blizzards which threaten to cause travel chaos today.

A fleet of gritters and ploughs was out across the Highlands and Moray overnight – battling to keep routes open.

The Met Office yesterday dramatically upgraded its snow warning from yellow to amber “be prepared” level because of the potential disruption facing travellers this morning.

Up to six inches is expected to fall on higher ground, with as much as four inches at lower levels.

Motorists are being advised to take precautions after a constant onslaught of heavy snow showers yesterday caused difficult driving conditions.

A lorry jacknifed on the A9 Inverness-Perth road at Crubenmore, near Newtonmore, at around 1.15pm.

The driver was not hurt but the road was closed for several hours while the vehicles was moved and lengthy queues of traffic built up.

The road reopened just after 6pm last night.

The snow gates on the A889 Dalwhinnie-Laggan route were also closed in the afternoon because of heavy snow, although they reopened later.

Gusts of up to 94mph were recorded on Cairngorm, forcing the early closure of the ski area in the afternoon.

Several more Highland weather stations recorded winds of around 80mph.

A dog walker near Corgarff, Aberdeenshire was caught up in the snow blizzards yesterday
A dog walker near Corgarff, Aberdeenshire was caught up in the snow blizzards yesterday

And almost every CalMac ferry service was disrupted or cancelled and passengers are being advised to check with the company before they travel today.

It is also expected that many head teachers will decide to close schools across the north this morning because of the conditions.

The amber warning lasts until late this morning, although the snow showers are forecast to continue all day.

The central Highlands, including Inverness and the Great Glen, are covered by the alert.

Other coastal areas, including Moray, Caithness, Skye, Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, are covered by a yellow “be aware” warning.

Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxie said temperatures were unlikely to climb much above freezing.

She said: “Snow will continue into rush hour and for the rest of the day we are looking at cloudy but dry conditions.

“It looks like it will be better on the east than the west.”

“And while there is a brief respite on Friday, the Arctic blasts are due to return at the weekend.”

Snow at the Slochd on the A9 yesterday
Snow at the Slochd on the A9 yesterday

Warnings were also issued by the police and Scottish Government.

Transport Minister, Derek Mackay, who experienced the snow first hand yesterday when he visited A9 roadworks at Kincraig, said: “A wide range of agencies and organisations have their response plans in action to try to mitigate the effects of this latest set of wintry conditions, but we are expecting disruption to the transport network.

“Gritters and patrols are out across the day and we have plenty of salt available. The winter control rooms are monitoring conditions 24/7 to ensure that the fleet is treating and patrolling where required but we would ask people to listen to police advice regarding the high risk of disruption.”

Chief Superintendent Iain Murray, head of road policing, said: “Police Scotland is urging motorists to heed the weather warnings that have been issued.

“Our crews will be patrolling the road network in order to keep people safe but we advise motorists to drive with extra caution in what could be very difficult localised conditions.”