PICTURE GALLERY: Easter Ross snow day fun amidst school closures, treacherous roads and weather warnings galore
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TRYING to get from A to B by car in many parts of Ross-shire today wasn't for the faint-hearted, it's probably fair to say.
More than a few people experienced that sinking feeling of tyres not quite doing their job on a quickly changing surface and markings slowly giving way to a virtual whiteout in places.
The main trunk road through the Highlands became tricky in parts of Easter Ross as a fresh coat of snow was added to what had already fallen earlier.
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As the weather warnings for snow and ice piled up, motorists were being asked to consider whether their journeys were really required or not – and given conditions in parts of the county, that was a fair shout.
Police, transport chiefs and Met Office forecasters have all urged people to plan ahead and make sure their planned journeys are safe to travel in the north.
The pleas come after days of worsening conditions which left more than 100 Highland schools shut, and many bus services suspended across the region.
Those closed schools though meant just one thing for thousands of pupils and some of their parents – a literal snow day to enjoy some sledging. Our photographer captured fun times around Invergordon and then an altogether trickier scenario on the road.
What's in store weather-wise next?
An amber warning for snow is in place across a swathe of the Highlands. That's a sterp up from the more common yellow alert and signifies a risk of disruption on the transport network and power cuts. With an amber alert, there is a good chance that some rural communities could become cut off".
That warning flags frequent heavy snow showers continuing to affect the Northern Isles and northwest Scotland, disrupting travel across the region.It runs until 6pm tomorrow for the areas affected.
A yellow alert is now in place until midnight. That means:
Frequent heavy snow showers will continue to push inland, likely disrupting travel across the region.
- Possible travel delays on roads stranding some vehicles and passengers
- Possible delays or cancellations to rail and air travel
- Some rural communities could become cut off
- A chance of injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces
- Untreated pavements and cycle paths might be impassable
That's essentially in place until midnight on Thursday.
How has it been where you are? We'd love to see your weather pictures from across Ross-shire.
