Temperatures plummeted throughout the north and north-east yesterday as heavy snowfall wreaked havoc on Perthshire roads.
Severe weather warnings were issued for the area as motorists were left stranded in the freezing conditions, with some abandoning their vehicles at the side of the road.
Meteorologists are forecasting more ice and snow this week.
A spokesman for the Met Office said: “Over the next few days it’s going to stay cold, with temperatures struggling to get above freezing. There’s probably an increased risk of snow flurries from the north tonight with a dusting of snow.
“It’s staying cold with wintry showers coming in again tomorrow but it doesn’t look like we will have a massive amount of snow.”
The temperature is expected to fall as low as -8C for Hogmanay revellers.
The worst affected area yesterday was Perthshire, where around 12 to 18 inches of snow fell overnight on Saturday.
The A9 Perth to Inverness road was closed in the Blackford and Auchterarder area from 3.30am on Sunday after several lorries jackknifed in the snow and blocked the road.
Around six inches of snow had fallen overnight.
Traffic heading north on the A9 was diverted from the sliproad at the roundabout near Dunblane as 31 lorries remained stuck on the carriageway.
The road was reopened to a single lane of traffic at around 1pm after BEAR Scotland staff and council gritters and ploughs cleared the snow.
Traffic was also restricted on the M90 between junction nine, Muirmont, and junction eight, Arlary, from around 9am following an incident involving a bus.
Aboyne, Ballater and Braemar experienced some of the country’s lowest temperatures as the temperature plummeted to -10C on Saturday night and an expected -11C last night.
A woman was flown to hospital in Inverness yesterday after a sledging accident at Braemar’s showground.
The unidentified woman, thought to be in her mid-40s, was taken to Raigmore Hospital with spinal injuries. Her condition last night was not known.
Grampian Police said roads across Aberdeenshire were icy in places but all main roads were open yesterday. No serious accidents were reported in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
Temperatures in Inverurie dipped to -6C overnight and were expected to remain sub-zero tonight with a low of -5C.
In Huntly, where the temperature dropped to -4C overnight on Sunday, it is expected to be warmer tonight, with a low of 3C.
