New amber weather warnings for snow across Highlands and Grampians
The Met Office has issued a new amber weather warning for snow and ice for parts of northern Scotland between 11:00 and 19:00 on Tuesday 6 January 2026. This is further to the existing yellow weather warnings for snow and ice which were previously in place for Tuesday.
The new warnings can be viewed on the Met Office website.
Within the Amber warning area, a further 5-10cm of snow is expected widely on Tuesday afternoon with 15 cm in places, particularly on higher ground / roads above 200 m. As we have already seen over the past few days, this brings an increased risk of travel disruption, stranded vehicles, some communities becoming cut off due to the additional snow, and interruption to power supplies and other services. This warning, along with the wider yellow medium impact warning valid throughout Tuesday for much of northern Scotland, including Perth and Kinross and the Highlands and Islands, also warns that injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces are likely with untreated paths etc likely to be impassable
This means that both trunk and local routes could see heavy snow and ice, poor visibility, and challenging conditions. As such, the official advice from Police Scotland is that there is a high risk of disruption.
There is the possibility of road and rail closures, power cuts and the potential risk to life and property. People and communities should consider travel plans and take action to minimise these risks.
The Transport Multi-Agency Response Team will be operational, monitoring conditions, co-ordinating our response, and providing support as required.
Partners have held daily calls since 31 December and throughout the cold snap to ensure thorough preparations and a co-ordinated response is activated.
Transport Scotland have chaired the calls which have featured contributions from Operating Companies, the Met Office, Traffic Scotland, Police Scotland and others.
ScotRail and Network Rail also held separate meetings to coordinate their winter response.
The Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGORR) has also been activated in response to amber warnings for snow. Advice to stay safe in the snow and ice.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport Fiona Hyslop said:
“Tuesday will bring more severe snow and ice to the north of Scotland – and with it, continued travel disruption and risks to people and communities. It’s important that people plan ahead, consider their travel plans and work from home if that’s an option.
"Please follow Police Scotland travel advice. If delaying your travel is an option in these affected areas – please consider doing so. Frontline staff have been working tirelessly to respond to the existing conditions and keep key routes open for critical services and supplies, and we’ve been using the time window offered by the improved conditions today, to replenish ahead of further winter treatments overnight into tomorrow.
“Please also plan ahead and check with your public transport operator. Journeys will likely be impacted. If you must drive, the Traffic Scotland website and social media channels gives people access to the latest information on the trunk road network. Checking ahead to ensure your route is available is vital.
Assistant Chief Constable Alan Waddell:
"The ongoing impact of the heavy snow we are continuing to experience means that driving conditions will be hazardous in some areas.
"We continue to work with partners to help our communities impacted by the weather.
"Our advice remains to plan ahead and carefully consider whether your journey is really necessary during the current adverse conditions.
"If you need to travel please make sure both you and your vehicle are prepared, drive to the conditions and allow extra time for your journey. Please don't drive through road closures, the decision to close roads is not taken lightly and is done for public safety."