YELLOW weather warnings for snow and ice are in place across much of Scotland on Thursday as temperatures fell below zero overnight.

A yellow warning for snow and ice is in place in the north of Scotland, where temperatures were as low as minus 4C in the early hours of Thursday morning.

Temperatures at Altnaharra in the Scottish Highlands dropped to minus 16C on Wednesday night, making it the coldest night of the year so far, the Met Office said.

This also marks the lowest temperature in the UK in the month of March since 2010, when minus 18.6C was recorded at Braemar in Aberdeenshire.

A further yellow warning is in place for snow across the central belt, Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders – with an additional warning for snow and ice in place for the south east of the country.

READ MORE: Subscribe to The National for ONE POUND for three months

The Met Office warns that some roads and railways are likely to be affected – with longer journey times by road, bus and train services.

There will also be some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths and some injuries from slips and falls on icy surfaces.

Some vehicles and passengers could become stranded with possible delays or cancellations to rail and air travel.

Power cuts could also be expected in some areas across the country.