Schools have been closed across the north of Scotland and train services cancelled as an arctic blast hits the country.
Yellow weather warnings have been issued for much of Scotland, with snow expected to hit Glasgow and the Central Belt on Tuesday.
More than 180 schools were closed today in Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City, Moray, the Highlands and Shetland.
A dusting of ice greeted many commuters this morning as the country awoke to the start of the cold snap.
READ MORE: The coldest places as temperatures plummet
Swathes of schools have been shut across northern Scotland, while Scotrail has also cancelled some services between Perth and Inverness due to expected bad weather.
More services on the line are also set to be disrupted throughout the day.
A snow and ice warning is in place in northern areas until midnight on Monday. The warning area will then spread across the whole of Scotland and into northern England on Tuesday.
🥶 Get the big coat on because the new week starts with a widespread frost
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 14, 2024
🌨️ Snow showers pushing into northern Scotland and Northern Ireland bring the risk of icy stretches
☀️ Dry for many inland areas with wall-to-wall winter sunshine pic.twitter.com/SjiPrDDm8P
A snow warning will be in place from midnight on Wednesday until midnight on Thursday across Northern Ireland, northern and western Scotland, parts of northern England and Wales.
READ MORE: Arctic air to bring snow, ice and travel disruption to Scotland
Drivers have been warned that the cold snap will bring travel disruption in parts of the UK.
Road users have been advised to plan ahead, while some rural communities warned they could be temporarily cut off.
The cold snap is the result of a blast of Arctic air pushing down from the north, and is expected to last around five days.
(PA Graphics)
Met Office meteorologist Liam Eslick said that temperatures will be about 5C to 6C lower than usual for this time of year.
Mr Eslick said: “Especially towards the North where we do have these warnings, we’re likely to see some travel disruption.
“So we would recommend people stick to the main roads and avoid country lanes where possible.
READ MORE: Cold Arctic air forecast to bring snow for parts of northern Scotland
“So we recommend people take their time, make sure they have time to do their cars in the mornings, and go steady.”
He said: “So essentially we’re looking at a strong northerly wind which is bringing in Arctic airmass which is cold, which is bringing in these wintry showers.”
He said that “icy conditions” were expected, with maximum temperatures of 0C in parts of Scotland, and only 2C to 4C in southern parts of the UK.
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