Storm Henry waiting in wings as Gertrude brings wind, rain and snow

Updated

Parts of Scotland have been hit by snow after Storm Gertrude battered the country with high winds and rain.

Police warned of hazardous driving conditions for some areas on Saturday, with routes affected by the white stuff.

Met Office amber warnings for snow, ice and high winds have expired, but yellow "be aware" warnings for ice and snow remain in place across all of Scotland into Sunday.

Those warnings also apply to Northern Ireland, Wales, northern England and the Midlands.

And the weather is set to remain unsettled into next week, with more warnings - some of them amber - in place for the arrival of another storm on Monday.

The Met Office said the vigorous low pressure system - named Storm Henry - is expected to pass just to the north of Scotland, bringing very strong west or southwesterly winds across much of the UK. Gales or severe gales with heavy rain are due across northwestern parts, possibly bringing disruption to transport and power supplies.

In the meantime, the current warnings caution that icy patches are expected to form on untreated surfaces on Saturday night into Sunday morning, especially where further snow showers occur after dark.

"The public are advised to take extra care and be aware of the potential for some disruption to travel," the Met Office said.

Police Scotland said routes in Tayside had been affected by snow, with a number of collisions reported during the morning, particularly on the A90.

Motorists were also advised to avoid the A9 at Drumochter Pass, Dalwhinnie, if possible because of the heavy snow. The road remains open but it has seen queuing traffic and delays in both directions.

On the A82, the snow gates were closed at Tyndrum, Bridge of Orchy and Glencoe.

They were also closed on the A93 from Braemar to Glenshee, the A939 from Tomintoul to Cock Bridge and the A821 Duke's Pass.

Officials told drivers to take extra care on the A832.at Glen Docherty and the M74 at Johnstonebridge.

The continuing unsettled weather comes a day after winds of more than 100mph from Storm Gertrude disrupted transport, brought down power lines and damaged buildings.

Gusts of 105mph were recorded in Shetland on Friday afternoon, while winds reached 144mph in the Cairngorm mountains.

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