Second weekend of snow and ice for freezing Scots

SNOW, ice and bitter temperatures are set to continue across much of the country over the next two days as Scotland enters its second consecutive weekend of weather warnings.

- BY NICK FORBES

Yet the news is a welcome boost for ski centres celebrating a bumper start to the season after a week of heavy snow in the north.

It comes as a band of snow moving over the country and northern England could cause more travel delays and disruption.

Many schools remained closed on Friday, including more than 150 in Aberdeenshire, dozens in the Highlands and Aberdeen, and a number in Moray, while heavy snow shut the Inverness-Wick railway line and a number of local roads remained closed. The main routes in the north and northeast are clear.

The Met Office said of the latest weather warning that wintry showers "are likely to give some snow accumulations in places, more especially on hills above 100m elevation where 2cm to 5cm will be possible". The weather service added: "Ice will be a more widespread hazard, especially overnight as temperatures fall widely below freezing, particularly away from immediate windward coasts." But, while the weather has brought major disruption in some parts, snowsports venues have been "blessed" with perfect conditions.