The east of Scotland will be subjected to a relentless stream of snow showers throughout the weekend, according to forecasters.
Strong winds have been pushing snow on to the east coast from the North Sea and forecasters predict this will continue into next week.
Snowfall is also expected to be more widespread as it pushes further inland with amber “be prepared” weather warnings issued by the Met Office for the Grampians, Tayside, Fife and Central regions.
These areas will get “frequent, and occasionally heavy, snow showers”, with snowfall expected to be as deep as two to four inches and as much as six inches on higher ground, the Met Office has forecast.
The wind is predicted to continue to intensify poor conditions with the “drifting of lying snow in the strong-to-gale-force south-easterly winds”.
Yesterday six hillwalkers were airlifted from the Cairn Toul area in the Cairngorms after one of their group got lost in the severe weather conditions.
The 26-year-old was taken to Raigmore hospital in Inverness after Grampian Police, Braemar Mountain Rescue and the RAF were called in to assist at 12.45pm.
Numerous minor road accidents took place across Tayside last night due to poor weather conditions according to police but there were no major incidents.
Snow gates at the Spittal of Glenshee were also closed due to drifting snow caused by strong winds.
Tom Tobler, a forecaster for MeteoGroup, the weather division of the Press Association, said: “Through Saturday there will be snow showers for the east of Scotland particularly Aberdeen and the Grampians but also the Borders. There will be an easterly or south-easterly wind so anywhere exposed to that will be at risk.
“Any one shower will pass through on a breeze so shouldn’t last too long but they will be continuous throughout the day.
“Through to Sunday there will be more snow showers in the east it will probably be a colder day with the majority of places struggling to get above zero degrees Celsius.
“On Monday this easterly wind will be continuing bringing further snow showers and could be stronger making them more widespread.”
The Scottish Government advised people to prepare for heavy snow and icy conditions in response to the warnings.
Transport Minister Keith Brown said that the Scottish Government’s Resilience operation met the Met Office, councils, police, transport authorities and the range of other agencies and organisations yesterday to try and minimise the disruption for individuals, families and communities.
He said: “As we’ve seen so well in recent years, there’s also a lot that people can do to help themselves and their communities when bad weather closes in, like offering vulnerable neighbours a helping hand, clearing snow from pathways and ensuring that they follow travel and transport advice. This is particularly important in our more rural areas.
“We would remind motorists and the travelling public to be aware of the potential dangers of snow and freezing temperatures. They should keep up to date with live travel information and local radio reports and familiarise themselves with advice for driving in testing conditions.”
Assistant Chief Constable Allan Moffat, speaking on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, said: “The police service in Scotland will continue to work in close association with partners in the Met Office, government agencies and trunk road operators to ensure that clear and concise safety messages are made available as soon as possible.
“As part of the multi-agency response team, we will continue to play a major part in keeping people informed of conditions and giving advice as appropriate. If we work together with the public, we can ensure as far as possible the smooth and safe running of the transport network this winter.”
Angus Council reported that 13 gritters, 16 tractors and 20 mini-gritters had been deployed from 5am yesterday and pre-gritting would continue today and tomorrow.
Isla Primary was closed all day while other schools such as Webster’s High School, Northmuir Primary and Tannadice Primary were forced to close early.
Dundee also experienced heavy snow showers and blizzard conditions for much of yesterday but Tayside Police said there had been no serious accidents.
There were also no reports of any serious accidents in Angus.
In Perthshire, there were a number of road accidents.
Just after 1pm the A93 was closed northbound between Blairgowrie and Lair following a collision, while “hazardous” conditions were reported between Spittal of Glenshee and Braemar.
The A93 Perth to Kinross road was closed in both directions between the Spittal of Glenshee and the School Road junctions in Braemar.
The snow gates at the Spittal of Glenshee and north of the chairlift on the A93 Blairgowrie to Braemar road were also reported to be closed due to drifting snow.
In Fife, light snow showers were restricted mainly to the north-east of the region, but a council spokeswoman said the local authority expected conditions to worsen over the weekend.