Tuesday night was the coldest night of the year so far, the Met Office has said, as temperatures dropped to below -15 in the Highlands.

Temperatures at Kinbrace in Sutherland dropped to this year’s record low of minus 15.2C overnight.

The temperature in the area has since decreased further, dropping 0.2 degrees to -15.4C, the national forecaster reported on Wednesday.

It comes amid a warning that parts of Scotland could see as much as 40cm of snow later this week.

READ MORE: Heavy snow alert issued for Scotland with warning of 40cm drifts

A yellow alert for snow has been issued for the entire country south of Inverness, stretching from Jura in the west to Peterhead in the north east.

The Met Office predicts that heavy snow has the potential to cause “significant disruption” on Thursday and Friday. 

The warning comes into force at 3am on Thursday and extends through to 6pm on Friday, with prts of Scotland set to see the heaviest snow fall on Friday. 

As much as 30-40cm of snow could be set to fall on parts of the Southern Uplands, the Central Belt and the southern Highlands, with potentially 15-20cm accumulation across northern areas. Other areas, even at low elevations, could see between 5-10 cm of snow, the warning notes. 

Scotland could also be met with blizzard conditions and drifting of lying slow given the potential for strong winds.