Scotland weather: New rain warning for west of Scotland as snow and sleet forecast elsewhere

The alert, which runs from midnight until 11.59pm on Wednesday, now covers Argyll and Bute, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire.

The warning has also been issued in large parts of eastern Scotland including Fife, Dundee and Aberdeen.

The Met Office said: “Rain, heavy at times, will persist across eastern Scotland during Wednesday. This, coming on top of recent rainfall, is likely to lead to some disruption and possible flooding impacts in places.

“A further 15-25 mm may fall quite widely, with potential for another 30-40 mm building up over high ground.”

It said snow if likely to fall across higher ground, particularly across Aberdeenshire, Angus and Perthshire, where forecasters said between five and ten centimetres of snow could accumulate by the end of Wednesday.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has four flood alerts in place, which affect Aberdeenshire and the city, as well as Dundee and Angus, Fife and Tayside.

Within the Tayside region, SEPA also has two, more severe flood alerts in force, which affect Aberbothrie and the River Isla at Coupar Angus.

The Met Office has warned of disruption to travel in the coming days, with possible delays to bus and train services and spray and flooding affecting journey times on the roads.

Ferry operator CalMac has warned on X that some of its services may be subject to cancellation or delays, and urged travellers to check their journey before setting off.

Rain, sleet and hill snow has been forecasted elsewhere, including in Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders later this week.

Forecasters have predicted persistent rain across southern Scotland on Wednesday, increasingly turning to snow over the hills later in the day.

The wintry conditions are set to continue into Thursday, before easing and clearing to bright and sunny spells. The weekend is looking dry and sunny, with some wintry showers around the coasts.