New yellow warning for ice issued by the Met Office; alert covers large chunks of the Highlands and follows on from an existing warning for snow and ice throughout Friday
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FORECASTS for plummeting temperatures followed by freezing rain and sleet have sparked a fresh Met Office weather warning.
The mercury is expected to plunge across the Highlands on Friday night, before slightly warmer air moves in from the north-west – bringing some inland snow, as well as rain and sleet.
And the Met Office has issued a yellow warning for ice, amid fears that the rain and sleet will freeze when it hits the frigid ground.
The warning will come into force at midnight tonight (Friday) and will remain in place until 11am on Saturday.
A Met Office spokesman said: "Outbreaks of rain and sleet preceded briefly by a little snow inland, will gradually move east later in the night and on Saturday morning. Rain falling onto frozen surfaces will lead to a risk of ice in places."
The alert covers swathes of Sutherland, Ross-shire, Inverness-shire and parts of Lochaber. The alert also extends almost as far south and east as the A9 at Aviemore, Kingussie and Newtonmore. And, while the warning may not extend quite that far, temperatures are still expected to plunge in the Cairngorms National Park again tonight.
Indeed, before the rain and sleet arrives in the north-west, parts of the Highlands could experience their coldest night of the winter so far – with Met Office forecasters predicting some areas of Scotland could see temperatures as low as -15C.
The latest warning comes on top of an existing alert for snow and ice, which is in force for part of the Highlands throughout Friday.
Click here for the latest Met Office weather warnings.
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