Weekend weather: Met Office issues warnings as snow and ice set to hit large parts of Scotland

The view from Stirlingshire of snow-covered peaks in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park, as the coldest week of the winter could be just around the corner (John Linton/PA Wire & Met Office)

MORE weather warnings have been issued as winter weather returns to Scotland this weekend.

After a short spell of warmer temperatures, it was a chilly star this morning with many place being affected by light snow and ice.

And the Met Office has now released two Yellow Warnings for Saturday and Sunday as the mercury gets set to dip again.

The first warning is in place between 8pm on Saturday and 11am on Sunday, affecting eastern and central parts of the country.

The chief forecaster said: “Rain and hill snow, accompanied by some strong winds, is expected through Saturday evening, clearing eastwards overnight.

“Above around 200 metres, 2-5 cm of snow may accumulate although there is a small chance of 5-10 cm falling over the Southern Uplands.

“As skies clear from the west overnight into Sunday morning, ice is expected to form on any untreated surfaces.”

The second warning is in place between Sunday at 12:05am and 11am and affects the majority of the country.

“A band of rain and hill snow is expected to clear eastwards on Saturday night with clearer skies and scattered sleet, snow and hail showers following,” the chief forecaster said.

“2-5 cm of snow may accumulate above 150 metres with some snow to low levels too, particularly across Northern Ireland and Scotland.

“Showers are likely to fall as rain along western coasts though. Where skies clear after showers, ice is likely to develop on untreated surfaces later in the night.”