Snow closes schools and causes travel problems in Scotland

An accident on the A90, south of Stonehaven, caused delays

Dozens of schools have been closed as heavy snow causes problems in parts of Scotland.

All schools in Shetland have been shut due to the weather, as have more than 80 in Aberdeenshire. Almost all schools on Skye have either had to close or open later.

Some schools in Wester Ross and Sutherland were also affected.

The Met Office warned snow and ice could cause travel disruption in Scotland through to Friday night.

Many bus services have been delayed or cancelled, as commuters face difficult driving conditions.

In the north-east of Scotland, the snow gates were closed on the A93, the B974 and the B939.

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Schools in areas including Aboyne, Alford, Banchory, Mintlaw, Turriff and Westhill were among those closed.

North East Scotland College also closed its campuses.

Aberdeen International Airport said there were only some minor delays after teams worked "flat-out" to get the runway operational.

Shetland's Sumburgh Airport saw some disruption after being closed in the morning due to snow but later reopened.

Snow-covered Aberdeen as seen from the air

Aberdeen City Council said there would be "continuous gritting".

The council said: "Please stay at home if possible as many roads are affected. There are cars stuck on roads which is impacting our gritter routes. Please take care."

Highland Council said heavy overnight snow had fallen to depths of 15cm (6in) across Skye and Lochalsh.

On Skye, the local authority said the drivers of service buses were forced to abandon their vehicles because of the conditions on the A855 at Uig and Staffin on Monday night.

Skye had heavy snowfall overnight

The Cairngorm Mountain snowsports centre, near Aviemore, reported having had 35cm (14in) of fresh snow in the space of 24 hours.

Forecasters said Arctic air would bring the coldest temperatures of the year, and up to 40cm (15in) of snow could accumulate in the southern Highlands.

It was a case of spot the dog in this Aberdeen park

Aberdeen was covered in snow on Tuesday morning

Snow at Lochcarron in Wester Ross

A series of yellow "be aware" warnings have been issued.

The heaviest snowfalls are expected on Friday with the Highlands, Aberdeenshire and central and southern Scotland covered by warnings.

The cold conditions follow Scotland's third-mildest February on record, according to provisional statistics.

In January, an amber warning for snow was issued for the Highlands, Western Isles and Orkney and Shetland and the weather closed schools across the north of Scotland.