Amber snow alert in Scotland during Storm Bert

A snow flurry in Kingussie in the Highlands on Thursday afternoon

The Scottish government has urged the public to heed a Met Office amber warning for heavy snow for parts of Scotland during Storm Bert.

It said parts of the Highlands, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Angus could be affected from 07:00 to 17:00 on Saturday. Amber means an increased likelihood of severe weather affecting travel and power supplies.

A number of yellow "be aware" warnings for snow, high winds and heavy rain have also been issued for Scotland over the coming days.

On Thursday, wintry conditions meant thousands of children across north and north east Scotland were off school or nursery and there was some rail and road disruption.

Scottish government agency Transport Scotland said potential impacts of the amber warning included long delays and cancellations on bus and rail travel.

It said roads may be affected by deep snow, particularly over higher routes, and some rural communities might be cut off.

Interruptions to power supplies and telephone networks could also occur.

Police Scotland’s travel advice is to expect a high risk of disruption in the amber warning area.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: "The Met Office is warning us that Storm Bert will bring a period of challenging weather this weekend, with an amber warning for snow and ice issued for parts of central Scotland on Saturday, and yellow warnings for snow, ice and wind in place for large parts of the country.

"The conditions will likely cause difficult driving conditions and disruption to the wider transport network, so it’s important that anyone that has to travel during the warning period plans their journey ahead of time."

What are the weather warnings?

A series of Met Office warnings are in place from Thursday through to Sunday:

• Midday Thursday to 10:00 Friday - Yellow - snow and ice for central Scotland, Tayside and Fife

• Midday Thursday to midday Friday - Yellow - snow and ice for Highlands, Western Isles, north east Scotland and Northern Isles. Up to 10cm of snow could fall in some places

• 05:00 Saturday to 19:00 Saturday - Yellow - wind gusting to 60mph over the Western Isles and parts of the Highlands and north east Scotland. Gusts of up to 70mph in some coastal areas

• 07:00 Saturday to 17:00 Saturday - Amber - heavy snow for parts of Highlands, Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Angus. Accumulations of up 20cm on ground above 200m, with potentially as much as 40cm on hills above 400m

• 04:00 Saturday to 09:00 Sunday - Yellow - for mainland Scotland, Skye and Inner Hebrides, temporary snow accumulations of 10-20 cm on ground above 150m, with perhaps as much as 20-40 cm above 300m. Upland areas could see 20-40 mm of rain during Saturday night

Met Office forecasters said a deep area of low pressure would bring stormy weather to large parts of the UK.

Deputy chief meteorologist Dan Holley said: "Storm Bert marks a shift to much milder air and wintry hazards will gradually diminish through the weekend, but heavy snowfall is expected across parts of northern England and Scotland for a time on Saturday, especially over higher ground, and warnings are in place."

The RAC said drivers in some areas were having to contend with some of worst road conditions seen so far this year.

Drivers have encountered challenging conditions on the A87 near Invergarry in the Highlands

On Thursday, a fallen tree temporarily closed the A9 north of the Black Isle's Tore Roundabout and snow caused challenging driving conditions on the A87 near Invergarry.

ScotRail cancelled services between Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh due to heavy snow.

Schools across the Highlands, Moray and Aberdeenshire have closed due to poor road conditions.

Secondary school pupils have been told any affected prelims would be rearranged.

Highland Council said severe weather earlier this week led to the cancellations of flights between Wick and Aberdeen.

The local authority helps to subsidise the service.

It said on Tuesday aircraft de-icing services were unavailable and on Wednesday delays at Aberdeen and heavy snow affected operations.