Scotland is facing travel disruption ahead of Christmas as multiple weather warnings have been issued for the north and west of the country. Heavy snowfall was reported overnight in areas including Aberdeen and Inverness, with a yellow Met office weather warning for snow and ice in place from 21:00 on Friday until 15:00. Another warning is also in place until 23:45 on Saturday for much of western Scotland, with rain expected to cause further difficulties.
CalMac sailings to several locations, including Uist and Tiree, were cancelled due to windy conditions, with others expected to be affected by speed restrictions on railways leading to delays and cancellations to inbound services for Inverness, Aberdeen and Oban. The snow gates between Berriedale and Helmsdale were shut, leading to congestion on the A9, while motorists are also being advised of hillside saturation levels leading to the closure of the A83 Rest and Be Thankful from Saturday afternoon.
As a result of the weather warnings and heavy snowfall, Cove Rangers Football Club issued an appeal for volunteers to help remove snow from the pitch ahead of a match with Edinburgh City, while a match between Ross County and Hibernian was also postponed due to a waterlogged pitch caused by the rain.
Further weather warnings for wind on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day have also been issued, with gusts of 50mph forecasted across many areas, though gusts of up to 70mph may affect parts of Scotland including Orkney, Sutherland, Lewis, and Caithness.
The disruption is expected to cause chaos on the UK’s roads and travel networks ahead of Christmas, with the Met office predicting that more areas could be affected by adverse weather conditions in the coming days
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