A blast of cold weather from Russia is expected to bring a big freeze which will endure across Tayside and Fife for weeks.
Locals have been told to make the most of the milder weather in the coming days as the Met Office warned of a flow of air, nicknamed the “beast from the east”, which will cause temperatures to plummet across Courier Country as of Monday.
Towns and cities across the UK’s east coast, Dundee included, are expected to bear the brunt of the freezing conditions, with “frequent snow showers” highly likely.
Forecasters said temperatures will not get above 2C in Scotland’s cities on Monday, and could even drop to lows of -5C. In rural areas of Tayside and Fife, -8C is likely.
Unlike recent spells of wintry weather the cold air is moving into Scotland from Eastern Europe and Russia, meaning communities along the country’s east coast are more likely to experience snowfall.
However the Met Office said it was too early to predict the exact impact of the freezing weather on Scotland or how much of the white stuff would land locally.
Meteorologist with the organisation, Martin Bowles, said: “For the rest of this week it is nothing special really, there is plenty of sunshine and mild temperatures to start with – but it will become a little bit colder each day.
“More interesting weather will arrive on Sunday and Monday where this eastern flow is likely. We are expecting quite strong eastern winds from Russia and Eastern Europe.
“It is quite likely that for a big chunk of next week and the week after, there will be very cold temperatures and frequent snow showers. I feel confident there will be snow in Dundee.
“Because there is going to be an eastern flow, there will be showers in the eastern side of Scotland. Temperatures will be cold enough for showers to definitely fall as snow. It is too early to talk about how much, but there will be some.
“We’re fairly confident we’re going to see a significant cold spell. There will be maximums of 1C or 2C and minimums of -5C in towns and cities.”
He added the freezing weather could “last two to three weeks, right into March”.
“This is likely to be from Monday onward. Even Sunday will be quite cold,” Mr Bowles said.
“I think there is likely there will be snow showers but it is too early to talk about where it is going to affect roads significantly.
“It is certainly too early to start talking about how much snow is going to settle.”
