Scotland was in the grip of a monster snow storm yesterday, with the Artic blizzard causing widespread chaos throughout the country.
People were told to avoid travelling after the highest level of red alert was issued, running from 3pm yesterday until 10am this morning.
The Met Office warning covered most of the country including central Scotland, Tayside and Fife, south west Scotland, the Lothians and Borders and Strathclyde areas.
READ MORE: Winter still firmly in charge with UK-wide snow alerts issued as Storm Emma approaches
Forecasters said that lying snow could reach 20-30cm and possibly 40cm in a few places by mid morning today.
More than 400 schools were shut, with a number universities and colleges closely following suit throughout the Wednesday as the weather worsened.
Many councils, including Glasgow, East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Falkirk, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire and Clackmannanshire also announced that their schools would be closed today.
Surgical operations were called off, and flights suspended as well as Scottish Parliament committees cancelled.
Video: Tips for driving in the snow
NHS Greaters Glasgow and Clyde announced any non-essential operations and outpatient appointments for Thursday would be rearranged and NHS Lanarkshire said it had cancelled all outpatient clinics and treatment room appointments until this morning.
Public transport ground to a halt with ScotRail announcing it would suspend all services from 6pm.
First Glasgow also suspended all of its bus services in the afternoon “for the safety of our staff and customers”, while Stagecoach cancelled all of its bus services throughout Fife.
READ MORE: Winter still firmly in charge with UK-wide snow alerts issued as Storm Emma approaches
Glasgow Subway also shut down its services from 7pm. Edinburgh Trams said it was "endeavouring to continue to run services however on a reduced timetable".
There was a last minute rush for hotel rooms in Glasgow city centre, which were quickly snapped up by stranded commuters and employees.
Virgin Trains closed its route between Carlisle and Scotland with alternative rail routes between England and Scotland are also “severely disrupted” while Caledonian Sleeper announced it had cancelled all of its scheduled services for the night.
The weather also affected flights, with Glasgow Airport suspending all operations until later on Thursday.
Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said: “This is the first red warning that has been issued for snow under the current system which means that conditions in affected areas will be extremely treacherous.
“I would urge people to follow police advice and avoid travel in those areas affected by the red and amber warnings.
“We recognise it will have an impact on people travelling to and from work over the next 24 hours and so I would encourage employers to be as flexible as possible with their staff.
“If you need to travel, your journey is likely to be disrupted and in many instances there may be cancellations, there is the possibility you could be stranded and this could interfere with emergency services and those clearing the roads.
“I would urge parents to continue to check school notices with their local authorities before making any decisions on travel.”
The SPFL announced that Wednesday night’s games in the Ladbrokes Premiership - Celtic v Dundee, Hibernian v Hamilton Academical, Motherwell v Aberdeen - have been postponed.
A number of construction sites across the UK halted for the day due to heavy snow, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB).
Video: Tips for driving in the snow
However a number of Scots were not deterred by the snowy weather with one man captured skiing down Alexandra Parade in Glasgow, while a number of youngsters snowboarded down a snowy ramp on the city’s Concert Hall steps.
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