Amber snow warnings have been issued for parts of northern Scotland as the country braces for several days of wintry weather.

Parts of the north east, Highland, Perth and Kinross and Angus are expected to be blanketed with up to 20cm (7.9ins) of snow in low levels, with blizzard conditions forecast from 12:00 on Friday until 12:00 on Saturday.

Ferry services have been disrupted by high winds, and there are reports of vehicles struggling on country roads as snow starts to accumulate.

A less severe yellow warning is already in place for most areas north of Dundee throughout New Year’s Day, lasting until midnight on Sunday.

The Met Office has warned that travel delays on the roads are likely during the amber alert, and that snow could result in vehicle strandings.

It said rural communities could become cut off and that disruption to air and rail travel was likely.

There have been reports of vehicles stuck near the B974 at the Cairn o’ Mount hill in Aberdeenshire where snow gates have now been closed.

The snow gates were also closed on the A939 to the Lecht at Cock Bridge and on the A93 at Braemar.

Coach operator Citylink said on Thursday evening that its services were facing delays of up to 20 minutes because of difficult conditions around Aberdeen and Inverness.

Forecasters said by Friday morning 5cm (2ins) and locally up to 10cm (4ins) of snow could have accumulated in low lying areas.

Areas above 200m could see double that amount, and lightning could be an additional hazard.

Those in affected areas have been told to expect travel delays and treacherous conditions for pedestrians, with warnings that some rural communities could be cut off over the coming days.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said weather conditions would be challenging and urged people to listen to police advice.

Ch Supt Scott McCarren, Police Scotland’s head of road policing, said: “Our advice is to plan ahead and consider if your journey is really necessary during the bad weather or if it can be delayed until conditions improve.

“If you need to travel, please drive to the conditions, be prepared for delays and allow extra time for your journey.

“Please don’t drive through road closures, the decision to close roads is not taken lightly and is done for public safety.”

Arctic air is spreading across the UK bringing the beginning of a lengthy period of colder weather.

Amber cold health alerts from the UK’s Health Security Agency (UKHSA) cover the whole of England.

New year revellers in southern England saw temperatures below freezing around midnight and there was a widespread frost on the first morning of 2026.

Overnight lows fell to -6.2C in Bournemouth and -2.5C in Cardiff, with temperatures widely below zero elsewhere across southern England and South Wales.