Hundreds of schools will remain closed for a third day as snow and ice continue to cause disruption across the country amid multiple weather warnings.
The Met Office has issued yellow ice warnings for most of the UK, including Northern Ireland, for Wednesday morning amid an Arctic air mass which has brought wintry showers across the country.
A yellow warning for snow and ice is in place all day on Wednesday in northern Scotland, with residents there told to expect a further 5 to 10cm of snow.
Temperatures are expected to drop as low as minus 6C in parts of rural Scotland and just below freezing more widely overnight, the Met Office said.
Much of Scotland has faced the worst of the weather, with hundreds of schools in the north of the country remaining closed on Wednesday. Hundreds of schools in the Highlands and Aberdeenshire will remain shut on Wednesday after pupils enjoyed an extra day of holiday on Monday following the festive break due to the weather.
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Travel has been affected all week, with a number of flights cancelled, and some train lines affected. But as much of the country is impacted by ice, authorities have asked pedestrians and motorists to be careful on slippery surfaces.
Forecaster Marco Petagna said: “In the ice warnings, be careful of slippery surfaces and potential for injuries, so take care on footpaths.
“Icy patches could affect untreated roads, not all roads and pavements and cycle paths are treated so just be aware that away from major highways there could be icy and slippery conditions for a while tomorrow morning.”
Aberdeenshire Council has declared a major incident as the region deals with ongoing heavy snow. The local authority says there is a “good chance” some rural communities will be cut off and there may be power cuts.
Separate yellow warnings for snow and ice cover much of the UK, including Northern Ireland, Wales, much of Scotland north of Glasgow, southwest England, northwest England, the Midlands, east England and the northeast of England, stretching up to the Scottish Borders.
The Met Office said yellow alerts mean that it is likely the weather will cause at least low-level impacts, including some disruption to travel.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has extended amber cold health alerts for England as an early warning that adverse temperatures are likely to affect health and wellbeing, running until Sunday.
Dr Agostinho Sousa, head of extreme events and health protection at UKHSA, urged people to check in on vulnerable friends, family and neighbours earlier this week. He warned: “The forecast temperatures can have a serious impact on the health of some people, leading to increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and chest infections, particularly for individuals over the age of 65 and those with pre-existing health conditions.”
Police Scotland said the impact of the snow is likely to be felt over the next few days in the north and north-east of Scotland, urging people to follow travel advice.
Assistant chief constable Alan Waddell said: “Local resilience partnerships are continuing to meet to co-ordinate and deliver the response to disruption experienced by communities in the north and north-east of Scotland following heavy snowfall over the weekend.
“We have been working closely with resilience partners across local authorities, other emergency service partners, transport partners, NHS and health and social care partnerships, and other local organisations to support communities affected by adverse weather and keep public services open where possible.
“Some services may be impacted by adverse weather and I would encourage the public to check on neighbours or relatives, if they are able to do so safely.”
Ministers met police, local authorities, utilities companies and other bodies on Tuesday to discuss the response to the severe weather.
Scottish justice secretary Angela Constance, who chaired the meeting, said “difficult conditions” are expected to remain this week, and ministers will “continue to closely monitor the situation and to engage with local partners in severely affected areas”.
Posting on social media, John Swinney said: “Please be aware of amber warning of snow affecting much of the north of Scotland today and the yellow warning of snow and ice across most of Scotland.
“I am very grateful to all public bodies and volunteers for the support that is being provided. Please stay safe.”
The first minister had earlier paid tribute to the “truly exceptional” efforts of farmers, volunteers and members of the public in helping clear roads, dig out cars and keep people safe, which he said showed “heartening” community spirit.
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