Parts of Scotland reached as low as nearly minus 18 Celsius (minus 0.4F) on Monday night, as the country faced Storm Darcy.

Bus and rail travel has been disrupted with an amber weather warning in place for much of the central belt and Transport Scotland reporting temperatures down to nearly minus 18 at Bannockburn in Stirling.

The Met Office forecasts that snow showers will continue during the day on Tuesday and into the evening across most of Scotland.

ScotRail reported delays due to staff struggling to get to work, while Transport Scotland urged care, following a number of accidents early on Tuesday.

The Tay Road Bridge was closed to traffic and Transport Scotland are advising motorists to plan their journeys.

READ MORE: Storm Darcy to bring snow and freezing temperatures

The amber warning is in place until 9pm.

Snow began to fall in Glasgow late on Monday night, catching some motorists unawares. Before long many roads were badly affected, creating hazardous driving conditions. 

Twitter user Des Tinney caught footage of this Tesla driver getting into difficulties in Glasgow City Centre, with similar scenes reported on the country's roads and motorways.

Speaking on Good Morning Scotland, Transport Scotland manager Stein Connolly said: “We had 146 gritters out last night.

“All the trunk roads are open, but there are some places where it’s just passable.

“There has been a couple of accidents – police are working to get these clear, but it’s maybe better to leave it until a safer point in the day (to travel).

“We did have temperatures down to nearly minus 18 last night at Bannockburn in Stirling, so it has been a challenge.

“It’s been minus seven, eight throughout the country last night.”

Mr Connolly added that people should leave plenty of travel time for their journeys, and ensure extra space between cars.

He said: “It takes up to 10 times longer to stop in the snow, so just make sure you’re leaving plenty of space.”

Parts of Orkney are dealing with power cuts, with all schools in the area closed, even to children of key workers, due to the weather.

Areas including Edinburgh and Glasgow have already faced a loss of electricity supplies amid the wintry weather.

Roads over higher routes are particularly expected to be affected by the snow, and some rural communities might be cut off.

STV weatherman Sean Batty reported that Braemar in Aberdeenshire has had record levels of snow.

In a tweet, he said: “Now recording about 70cm (27.6in) of snow lying in Braemar.

“Record we hold for Braemar is 68cm (26.8in) back in 2001, so looks like that’s gone.

“We’re not going to stop there either, still more to come tonight & tomorrow. Stay safe.”

People in Glasgow woke this morning to around four inches of snow blanketing the ground after heavy falls during the night. 

While some stayed out indoors, others took advantage of the heavy falls to have a little fun. 

Yellow warnings for snow and ice are also in place for the eastern half of Great Britain, extending to the Shetland Islands, advising of likely longer journey times by road, bus and rail, and cautioning people to be wary of slipping on ice.

While snowfalls for most of Britain are expected to ease on Tuesday, snow showers in many northern and eastern parts of Britain are forecast, reaching depths of 15cm (6 inches) in places.

WEATHER DarcyWeather warnings February 9-10 2021. See story WEATHER Darcy. Infographic PA Graphics. An editable version of this graphic is available if required. Please contact graphics@pamediagroup.com.

A yellow warning for snow and ice also remains current for the southern half of Northern Ireland.

Storm Darcy has brought havoc to many parts of the country, with police in parts of Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex on Monday advising against driving as roads became “impassable” due to settled snow.

READ MORE: Snow and ice warning issued as Storm Darcy nears

In Norfolk, one driver had to be dug out of his car after it became trapped in a snowdrift.

National Rail warned services in various parts of the country were likely to be affected, train operator Southern Rail announced service cancellations in south-east London, while networks in Kent and Essex also closed lines.