A cold northerly airflow has topped up snow totals for some of those in the north early this week and snow showers are likely to continue in north and northwest Scotland on Tuesday and Wednesday, likely most persistent over high ground in Scotland, as well as Shetland and Orkney.

A number of National Severe Weather Warnings are in place for wind, snow and ice and there is a chance more warnings will be issued as the week progresses.

Met Office Chief Forecaster Dan Suri said: “An Arctic maritime air mass has reasserted itself from the north, bringing with it another dose of snow and frosty nights for some.  

“As we head through the second half of the week conditions turn milder, wetter and windier from the west. This change to milder conditions will be preceded by some snow over parts of northern England and Scotland later on Wednesday, mainly over higher ground. The far north of Scotland is most likely to hold on to the cold air the longest, possibly lingering until later in the weekend.”

Stein Connelly from Transport Scotland said: “Large parts of Scotland will continue to see challenging weather over the next few days, so it’s important that travellers keep up to date on road conditions and plan their journeys.

“You should look at your route in advance, drive to the conditions and follow any Police Scotland travel advice that’s in place. There may be disruption on other modes of transport, so you should check with your operators before setting off if you’re planning to travel by rail, ferry or air.

“Motorists can check with Traffic Scotland to make sure that their route is available. The new Traffic Scotland website gives people access to the latest travel information and the Traffic Scotland twitter page is also updated regularly.”

Wet and windy weather to come

From Thursday, it’s turning wet and windy for many, albeit milder. Rain is likely to be the main hazard on Thursday, with further rain likely for some on Friday.

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Helen Caughey said: “The transition to milder air in the second half of the week might be welcome for some, but it brings with it wet and windy conditions, as low pressure moves in from the west, which will bring some heavy and persistent rain to some western and northern areas, as well as some gusty winds, especially for exposed coastal areas.”

Warnings have been issued for Thursday, with the wettest spots possibly seeing in excess of 100mm of rain.

Where the boundary between mild and cold weather lies over the weekend is subject to some uncertainty at the moment.

Keep up to date with the latest forecast on our website, by following us on Twitter and Facebook. Keep track of current weather warnings on the weather warning page.