With the first heavy snowfall of the season forecast for parts of the country this weekend, the Met Office warns people to prepare for possible travel disruption on one of the busiest weekends in the lead-up to Christmas.

An active low-pressure system will move in from the Atlantic on Friday night and push across Britain this weekend, bringing strong winds and heavy rain for some, with snow expected across northern parts of the country.

A Yellow weather warning for ice and snow has been issued for large parts of Scotland and northern England through Saturday and Sunday, with strong winds and heavy rain expected across other parts of the country.

Chief Meteorologist, Steve Willington said: “This weekend’s weather brings a range of winter hazards, with the possibility of heavy snow and blizzards in parts of Scotland and freezing rain for northern parts of the UK.  As such, there is the potential for disruption to travel on the roads and possible delays or cancellations to public transport services, so we encourage people to keep an eye on the latest weather forecast and warnings and to take care when travelling.”

“At the moment, the heaviest snow is expected over higher ground in Scotland with the chance of drifting snow due to strong winds.  Snow is also expected to settle at lower levels in Scotland and parts of northern England, with the risk of freezing rain and ice on Saturday night.”

Stein Connelly from Transport Scotland said:

 “This weather has potential to cause travel disruption, particularly over higher routes. As always, we encourage motorists to plan their routes ahead of time, leave plenty of time for your journey, follow Police Scotland travel advice and drive to the conditions.

 “Our operating companies have their winter services up and running, and will closely monitor the trunk road network to provide appropriate treatments where necessary. Drivers can‎ use the Traffic Scotland mobile website - my.trafficscotland.org - to get the latest information on the trunk road network, as well as check the @trafficscotland twitter page for updates. 

"If you are planning to travel by rail, air or ferry, please check with your operator before setting off to see if your service has been affected.”

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