A hillwalker who became lost on one of Scotland's highest mountains in severe weather, sparking a major search and rescue operation, was found safe and well yesterday.
The woman became separated from her group on Cairn Toul in the Cairngorms at 12.45pm.
Grampian Police and Braemar Mountain Rescue worked in partnership with the RAF to locate the woman, who is believed to be uninjured.
A police spokesman said: "The female walker became separated from a group due to severe weather conditions.
"Emergency services were contacted and a full-scale search was launched. The female was later reunited with the group and is believed to be uninjured. Given the severe weather conditions, mountain rescue teams are in the process of rendezvousing with the party."
In England and Wales snow caused widespread disruption with more than 2000 schools closed. More that 400 flights were cancelled, following closure of Terminal 1 at Heathrow Airport, with cancellations also at Cardiff, Bristol, Birmingham, Exeter, Southampton, Jersey and Belfast given driving snow and high winds.
The AA said it was receiving calls at a rate of around 900 an hour from stranded drivers.
Wales was set to endure the most gruelling conditions overnight with Amber "be prepared" warnings in place across much of England, where blizzard conditions were expected.
Although Scotland missed the worst of the snow, heavy falls arrived in Edinburgh last night.
Yellow "be aware" warnings were issued for rural and north-eastern areas. Aberdeenshire, Angus and Perthshire were in most danger of being blasted with heavy snow. Amber warnings were also issued for the Grampians, Tayside, Fife and Central regions, where snowfall was forecast to be as deep as two to four inches and as much as six inches on higher ground.
Caution was also advised in Strathclyde, the south-west of Scotland and the Lothians, where yellow "be aware" alerts were in effect until midnight. The Scottish Government advised people to prepare for heavy snow and icy conditions.
Transport Minister Keith Brown said: "The Scottish Government's Resilience operation is already liaising closely with the Met Office, councils, police, transport authorities and the range of other agencies and organisations who are working together to try and minimise the disruption.
"We would remind drivers and the travelling public to be aware of the dangers of snow and freezing temperatures. They should keep up to date with live travel information and familiarise themselves with advice for driving in testing conditions."
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