A severe weather warning has been issued for Tayside, with householders warned to expect snow, sleet and frost today.
Motorists in Perthshire are set to experience the worst of the conditions.
An amber (be prepared) alert was issued by the Met Office for Tayside and many parts of Scotland last night, with Tayside Police urging people to be ready for the ”possibility of significant disruption” to travel or potentially difficult driving conditions.
A spokesperson for Tayside Police said: ”Motorists should be prepared for the possibility of significant disruption to travel or potentially difficult driving conditions, especially across Perthshire.
”They are reminded to drive with care and at an appropriate speed for the road and weather conditions.”
On high ground above 1,300ft, up to six inches of snow is expected to fall, with four inches of snow predicted on ground above 650ft.
At lower levels, up to two inches of snow is forecast, before turning to rain during the morning. The conditions will remain cold, with patches of ice likely to form.
The cold weather snap has remained since Monday, when most areas of Tayside and Fife saw icy conditions.
Motorists are advised to carry suitable equipment during the winter months.
With snow forecast for this evening, Transport Minister Keith Brown said Friday morning could present the biggest winter challenge so far.
”So far this week the network and the public have coped well with some testing conditions,” he said. ”However, this severe weather warning promises to be the biggest challenge of the winter to date.
”We would remind motorists and the travelling public to be aware of the potential dangers of snow and icy conditions.
”An added risk is that fresh snow could fall on hard-packed ice and already-treacherous surfaces, so keep up to date with live travel information and advice for preparing for and driving in testing conditions.
”The public should be prepared for the risk of significant disruption to travel, especially over the M8 corridor to the east of Glasgow, across Perthshire and over much of inland eastern Scotland.”
David Simpson, route managing director of Network Rail Scotland, said: ”We’re monitoring the weather forecast and deploying our rapid response teams to where the weather is most likely to hit.
”In the past couple of years we’ve invested heavily in innovative technology such as Nasa-grade insulation to prevent points freezing and snow displacers which prevent snow building up.
”This will make the network as robust as possible and help us to keep Scotland moving.”
Anthony Astbury, chief forecaster at the Met Office, said temperatures could drop to minus 6C widely and to even lower in more rural locations.