Coldest February temperatures since 1986, Met Office reveals after mercury drops below -20C at numerous spots across the Highlands and Aberdeenshire

HIGHLANDERS were waking up this morning to the coldest February temperatures recorded since 1986.

The icy chill of winter 2021 continued overnight, with vast snowfields, crystal clear skies and a deeply cold air mass from the east all combining to send the mercury plunging.

Temperatures had already fallen to almost -19C in some parts of Sutherland by 9pm, and even built up areas like Inverness saw the mercury drop by -11C by 11pm, according to Met Office figures.

And the temperature continued to fall into Thursday morning, with Kinbrace in Sutherland and Braemar in Deeside both vying for the coldest spot in the UK.

BBC forecaster Simon King took to Twitter at 6.30am to confirm that Braemar was officially down to -21.9C, making it "the coldest February morning since 1986". And it is understood that Kinbrace wasn't far behind.

But Lee Schofield, at Highlands and Islands Weather (@highlandweather on Twitter, and Highlands and Islands Weather on Facebook), said temperatures were "still falling" across northern Scotland at 7.20am, and revealed that one of his stations in Alford in Aberdeenshire was already at -22.8C.

Elsewhere, Braemar was at -22.5C, Kinbrace at -22C, with Carrbridge as low as -20.2C and Altnharra at -20.1C.

How low will the mercury ultimately drop, and what's the temperature like where you are this morning? Email your snow and ice photos to newsdesk@hnmedia.co.uk and we will post a selection on our website.

Related news: UK 's coldest temperature for a decade already shattered after mercury plunges in one Highland spot to -18.8C

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