Upgraded warning issued for snow in Fife

The Met Office has issued an upgraded weather warning for snow in large parts of Fife.

The amber alert - the second-highest level of warning - comes into force at 3am tomorrow, running until 9pm.

It affects most central, western and southern parts of the Kingdom, with a yellow warning for snow already in place for the entire region until Wednesday night.

Drivers are being warned to take care when making essential journeys:

⚠️WEATHER WARNINGS⚠️

The @metoffice have issued an AMBER weather warning for SNOW for tomorrow (Tuesday 9th Feb) 03:00 to 21:00.

There is also a YELLOW weather warning in place for SNOW until Wednesday at 23:59.

More info here: https://t.co/aLvpj8a8ni

Essential travel only! pic.twitter.com/XcoAC1RoK7

— Traffic Scotland (@trafficscotland) February 8, 2021

The Met Office says some vehicles could become stranded, and delays are likely on public transport.

It is also warning that rural communities could become cut off, and there could be impacts on power supplies and other services.

Forecasters say temperatures in most parts of Fife will remain below freezing tomorrow, but feeling as low as -7C in some areas.

Michael Matheson, cabinet secretary for transport, infrastructure and connectivity, said: "We’re being warned that parts of Scotland are expected to face another period of  challenging weather, with the Met Office issuing an amber snow warning for Tuesday.

"The current Covid restrictions mean you should only be leaving your home for an essential purpose, so please consider if your journey is absolutely necessary before setting off. The forecast conditions will likely cause difficult driving conditions and disruption to the wider transport network.

"If you do have to make an essential journey, then the advice remains the same as it has throughout this winter - plan your route in advance, drive to the conditions and follow Police Scotland travel advice. There may be disruption on other modes of transport, so you should check with your operators before setting off.

"Motorists can check with Traffic Scotland to make sure that their route is available. The Traffic Scotland mobile website - my.trafficscotland.org - lets people get the latest information on the move and the Traffic Scotland twitter page is also updated regularly."

Chief Superintendent Louise Blakelock said: "Government restrictions on only travelling if your journey is essential remains in place and so with an Amber warning for snow, please consider if your journey really is essential and whether you can delay it until the weather improves.

"If you deem your journey really is essential, plan ahead and make sure you and your vehicle are suitably prepared by having sufficient fuel and supplies such as warm clothing, food, water and charge in your mobile phone in the event you require assistance.

"The Met Office, Traffic Scotland and SEPA websites and social media channels have valuable information about weather disruptions and we would encourage people to check these sites before setting off on their journey."