Much of Scotland is facing four days of disruption as a band of snow and ice moves in across the country.
The Met Office has issued a yellow warning of possible ice for West Dunbartonshire, Argyll and Bute and the West Highlands from Monday evening until Tuesday morning.
The same area is covered by a yellow warning for snow and ice from Tuesday evening until Thursday night, and there is already a fair amount of snow on Ben Lomond.
That warning also covers Strathclyde, Central Scotland, Tayside and Fife.
The Met Office warned on Monday: “Keep yourself and your family safe when it is icy. Plan to leave the house at least five minutes earlier than normal. Not needing to rush reduces your risk of accidents, slips, and falls.
“If you need to make a journey on foot, try to use pavements along main roads which are likely to be less slippery. Similarly, if cycling, try and stick to main roads which are more likely to have been treated.
“Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus and train timetables, amending your travel plans if necessary.”
How prepared is Scotland for severe weather over the winter?
Meteorologist Clare Nasir told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme the coming weather would bring a combination of very cold air and strong winds.
She said it had been “exceptionally” mild through the beginning of November but there had also been “copious” amount of rain.
This meant there was an increased risk of ice through the coming week with sub-zero temperatures causing lying water to freeze.
She forecast that that there could be enough snow to cause disruption, especially in the Highlands.
“Winter has arrived early” she said.
The first snowfall of the winter season hit Ben Lomond and the Cobbler plus many parts of the West Highlands last week
November has so far been considerably milder than previous years.
Typical overnight temperatures at this time of year range from 2C in Scotland to 5C in the south of England.
During the first week in November they rarely fell into single figures, instead hovering at about 10C to 14C.
Last November, temperatures below -10C were recorded in some parts of northern Scotland, including Braemar in Aberdeenshire which reached a low of -11.2C.
The last time -10.9C or lower was recorded on or before 19 November was in 1998.
Last week, Scottish transport operators outlined their winter resilience plans, but the 206 route through Bonhill has been withdrawn following instances of young people throwing stones at buses.
Road safety measures have included stocking up on 497,000 tonnes of salt – more than was used for the entirety of last winter – and preparing 240 gritters to undertake salt spreading and snow ploughing patrols of the trunk road network.
Winter in Scotland officially runs from December to February, but in recent years wintry conditions have lasted as late into the year as May.
MSP Jackie Baillie has urged residents to ensure they get their winter vaccinations
First Minister John Swinney and Labour health spokesperson Jackie Baillie.
Meanwhile, Dumbarton constituency MSP Jackie Baillie has urged residents to ensure they get their winter vaccinations as the country braces for a flu outbreak.
Her comments came as the SNP Scottish Government unveiled its Winter health preparedness strategy.
First Minister John Swinney warned MSPs at First Ministers Questions on Thursday, that the nation’s Chief Medical Officer had advised to expect a “particularly challenging” flu season.
But his government was accused of dawdling as pressure mounts – with the plan only being outlined two months later than last year.
The NHS is already at breaking point and the Scottish Government’s flu vaccination programme for school children is behind schedule.
A mutated H3N2 flu virus has already wrought havoc in Australia, India and Japan and is now headed towards Europe.
MSP Jackie, also Scottish Labour’s spokesperson for Health and Social Care, urged residents in Dumbarton, the Vale of Leven, Helensburgh and Lomond, to ensure they are vaccinated.
She said: “The SNP Scottish Government is once again on the back foot.
“The Health Minister’s statement on winter preparedness is two months later than last year’s, and a mutated flu strain is heading our way.
“Every day counts. The flu season has already started, more than five weeks early, and vaccination rates are down.
“There are 400,000 fewer adults vaccinated now than there were this time two years ago. Children’s vaccination rates are also down.
“Our NHS is already struggling and winter is not yet with us.
“The SNP has failed at the first hurdle of prevention, like they have failed across our public services, by not delivering vaccinations at pace and scale to protect the population and protect our NHS.”
NHS data also shows that the A&E teams continue to struggle – just 59.3 per cent of patients attending the emergency department at Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital last week were seen in line with four hour targets.
Delayed discharges have also rocketed, leaving bed blocking on the increase before winter bites.
Figures from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s board meeting last month reveal that delayed discharge has been on an upward trajectory since August – when Acute Delayed Discharge cases numbered 347.
The figure represented a jump from the 312 cases recorded in July.
Local management data for early October also showed a further jump to 366 cases, with numbers expected to increase.
ENDS