Snow and ice warnings come into force across Scotland
The Met Office has warned that yellow weather warnings for snow and ice could impact travel in Scotland and northern England later.
Scattered showers of rain, sleet and snow are expected, with an ice alert for the north and east Highlands in place until 10:00.
A second ice warning came into force at 05:00 and continues until 12:00, covering much of central and southern Scotland as well as northern England.
A yellow alert for snow affects most of the mainland north of Perth until 18:00, after the Highlands saw its first snowfall of the season last week.
The Met Office said that 0.8in to 2in (2-5cm) of snow is possible at lower levels and as much as 4in (10cm) on higher ground.
Later, an alert for snow and ice covers all of northern Scotland, including Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles, from 18:00 on Tuesday until 21:00 on Thursday.
Another Met Office yellow warning is in force for snow and ice in coastal areas of eastern England from 06:00 on Wednesday until 18:00 on Thursday.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has also issued amber and yellow cold health alerts for northern England and the Midlands, which are valid until Friday.
It will turn less cold by the end of the week, with temperatures rising slightly to return to average at the weekend.
Some Calmac ferry services have been affected by the weather conditions, with some cancellations and delays
ScotRail urged people to take care while travelling and to check the status of their entire journey before heading out.
Gritters have been out overnight pre-treating and patrolling roads across the country.
Stagecoach said customers would be updated about any changes on its app or social media channels.
The Met Office advised that there was a chance of power cuts as well as road closures.
'Conditions turning colder'
A yellow warning means the weather is likely to have some impact on some people, but others will be able to carry on as normal.
People are advised to keep an eye on the latest forecast to work out how much they might be impacted, especially if the weather gets worse.
Kirsty McCabe, from the Royal Meteorological Society, told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme people would notice the "sudden switch" to cold weather.
"November so far has been well above average; it's felt very mild," she said. "This is the first proper cold snap of the season. It's really feeling quite wintery. Also, because we've got the snow and ice warnings out.
"Yes, most of the snow will be above higher ground, across parts of northern Scotland, but this evening could be quite a wintry mix coming down, even into the central belt to lower levels. So we could see a few flakes of snow this evening."
For those travelling to Hampden to see Scotland play Denmark in the World Cup qualifier, Ms McCabe said it could be a bit sleety in places and "maybe the odd rumble of thunder".
She said that although the snow was not likely to settle at lower levels, it could be enough to cause disruption.
"It could make the roads more skiddy in places and could affect travel and the trains," she said.
She added that the cold snap would last until the end of the week, and by Friday morning, temperatures could go down to -10 in some areas.
However, she said temperatures would return to average through the weekend.
Police Scotland said drivers should ensure their cars are roadworthy before heading out.
Last week, Scottish transport operators outlined their winter resilience plans.
This included stocking up on 497,000 tonnes of salt - more than was used for the entirety of last winter - and preparing 240 gritters to undertake salt spreading and snow ploughing patrols of the trunk road network.
So far, November has been considerably milder than previous years.
Typical overnight temperatures at this time of year range from 2 °C in Scotland to 5 °C in the south of England, but they rarely fall into single figures during the first week of November this year.
Temperatures below -10C were recorded in some parts of northern Scotland last November, including Braemar in Aberdeenshire, which reached a low of -11.2C.
Temperatures to drop
During the early hours of Tuesday, a frontal system will move in from the Atlantic, writes BBC Scotland Weather's Christopher Blanchett.
It moves across the Hebrides and then extends across Scotland from the west coast to the east coast during the daytime.
This will bring the likelihood of a spell of rain, sleet and snow for the first part of Tuesday morning.
The forecast is for 2-5cm (1-2in) of snow on ground above 150m (500ft) across inland areas north of the central belt.
On higher ground and higher road routes, the snow will be heavier, with a greater potential for some disruption.
Some disruption is likely with ice, sleet and snow causing problems for travel during the morning, before easing into the afternoon.
There's a little pocket of less cold air within the system, which means for much of the central belt and south, snow is likely to be on higher ground.
But as the temperature drops on Tuesday night, snow may come to lower levels again for a time.
Bitter north winds will surge across the country on Wednesday and Thursday, with frequent snow showers at sea level across the north of Scotland and down some eastern and western coasts.
Thursday night could see the coldest spots of the country dip to a bitter -10C
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Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm276jn0y11o
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