Heavy rain and snow could cause significant disruption across Scotland in the lead-up to Hogmanay and beyond, according to the Met Office.
The forecaster has issued a series of yellow weather warnings for rain and snow covering most of Scotland for all of Monday and Tuesday and into New Year’s Day.
A separate weather warning for wind and snow is in place for southern, central and some eastern parts of Scotland from New Year’s Eve until Thursday 2 January.
High winds have already led to the cancellation of Sunday evening’s Torchlight Procession which kicks off Edinburgh’s pre-Hogmanay celebrations.
Elsewhere, a yellow alert for snow has also been issued for Orkney on Hogmanay.
The Met Office said the weather warnings could lead to difficult driving conditions, disruption to public transport, power outages and homes being cut off.
Network Rail has announced trains on some lines will need to be slowed down due to the difficult weather conditions.
Services on the West Highland Line are being slowed down from Sunday afternoon. Speed restrictions are also being put in place from Monday on trains from Aberdeen and Inverness, between Perth and Stirling, Kyle of Lochalsh and Inverness, as well as on the Far North Line the Highland Main Line.
Network Rail Scotland’s operations director, Simon Constable, said: “Ahead of the bad weather, our engineers are carrying out extra checks on our pumps and in areas known to be at risk from the elements, particularly flooding. We’ll have more staff than normal on duty to remove fallen trees and debris from the track, as well as to tackle flooding.
“Some journeys will take longer than normal, and we advise passengers to plan ahead. We will, of course, remove any speed restrictions as soon as it is safe to do so and we thank passengers for their patience.”
The rain and snow alert stretches across the Strathclyde region, including Glasgow, East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire, and over to Edinburgh and West Lothian in the east. It extends northward across the rest of the country, excluding Orkney and Shetland.Heavy rain is forecast to be persistent and widespread during Monday and Tuesday and could cause flooding.
There could be up to 140mm of rain in some areas, with western Scotland likely to get the worst of it.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) is warning communities in the north-west and central Highlands to prepare for flooding.
Significant snowfall is expected in areas to the north and east of Perthshire, as well as in the region itself, especially over high ground.
About 10-20cm of snow is forecast to accumulate at higher levels, with several centimetres possible at lower levels.
Snow is expected to turn back into rain as milder air pushes in, with snow melt expected to contribute to flooding in places.
The Met Office warned strong winds could “exacerbate” issues, citing the possibility of blizzard conditions over high ground and across much of Sutherland and Caithness.In Okrney, snow is forecast to fall from the early hours of New Year’s Eve.
It is expected to continue through much of the day before turning to showers in the evening. Up to 20cm is expected, largely across the mainland and Hoy.
Meanwhile, strong and gusty southwesterly winds are forecast to develop across southern Scotland on Tuesday morning, veering to westerly during the evening.Gusts of 50mph to 60mph are expected, perhaps reaching 70mph in a few exposed areas.