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Snow warnings after coldest night of the year

Dalgety47/Weather Watchers Dalgety Bay, FifeDalgety47/Weather Watchers
The view from Dalgety Bay in Fife on Thursday where snow could be seen settled on the Forth Bridge

More warnings for snow and ice are in place across Scotland after the Highlands again recorded the coldest night of the year.

Temperatures fell to -16C at Altnaharra, making it the lowest UK March temperature since 2010.

One Met Office alert for snow covers the south of Scotland from 07:00 on Thursday to 14:00 on Friday.

Another warning covers parts of Highland and the north and east coasts from 17:00 until 10:00 on Friday.

A further alert has been issued for much of southern and central Scotland from 15:00 on Saturday to 06:00 on Sunday.

It comes after an Arctic blast saw temperatures drop across the country on Wednesday with school closures in Shetland, Aberdeenshire and Highland.

A number of schools in Aberdeenshire remained closed on Thursday.

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Jenni P/Weather Watchers Cockburnspath, Scottish BordersJenni P/Weather Watchers
Snow was lying in Cockburnspath in the Scottish Borders

The warning covering southern areas also affects Northern Ireland and parts of England and Wales.

A level three cold alert has been issued by the UK Health Security Agency for the whole of England.

The Met Office warned further snow and ice could cause travel disruption across Scotland into Friday, warning rural communities could be cut off.

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It said significant accumulations were possible over the hills of northern England and southern Scotland.

In those areas up to 15cm (6in) of snow is expected quite widely with a chance of more significant amounts.

However, the majority of areas covered by the warnings are not forecast to receive such levels.

Scottish Borders Council has put its winter contingency arrangements in place with extra resources available for snow clearance if needed.

Although the heaviest snowfalls are expected on higher ground the local authority said it would be in continued contact with the Met Office to monitor the forecast and conditions.

Forecasters have also warned that there is the potential of strong winds, which may lead to blizzard conditions and drifting of lying snow.

Ice is likely to develop widely on Friday night, the Met Office said.

Some incidents have been reported around the country due to the weather conditions.

Inverkeithing station
Snow clearing was required at Inverkeithing station
VickyA/BBC Weather Watchers Ducks on iceVickyA/BBC Weather Watchers
Temperatures have dropped and ice has formed in much of the country

Police were sent to the junction 2 slip road on the M90 near Dunfermline following a minor crash at about 06:15 on Thursday.

The road was blocked and Traffic Scotland said the area was very icy, warning motorists to take care.

Inverness Airport's runway was also temporarily shut due to snow which resulted in some delays to flights.

Meanwhile, visitors to Scotland's mountains have been urged to adequately equip themselves for the conditions, and also be aware of potential risks after recent snowfalls.

They have been asked to check weather and avalanche information services before heading out.