Freezing air is beginning to hit Scotland as the country braces for days of heavy snow.

A yellow weather warning for snow is in place across most of Scotland throughout Tuesday, with a more serious amber warning in place for Wednesday.

The wintry weather is being caused by cold air from Siberia moving in from the east.

Temperatures are expected to drop to around -4C overnight, with wind chill making certain areas feel like -15C.

Gritters have been out on roads ahead of heavy snowfall expected to begin later on Tuesday.

Amey, which maintains roads in the south east, said it had 29 vehicles out on Tuesday morning.

BEAR Scotland had 32 gritters out on roads in the north west.

Deputy first minister John Swinney earlier chaired a meeting of the Scottish Government's resilience team to discuss the response to the weather in the coming days.

STV's weather presenter Sean Batty said the snow showers would grow heavier in the east throughout Tuesday.

He said: "Some of the snow showers will be heavy, most likely around Fife, Edinburgh and the Lothians.

"Some heavier bursts can also be expected for a time across Moray and Aberdeenshire between 1am and 4am. Much of the west coast should stay dry with some sunshine.

"The proper snow doesn't really start until Tuesday night, when showers will begin to merge into longer spells of heavy snow."

He added: "Snow will also feed through the Central Belt towards the Glasgow area.

"This will continue to feed in on a strong easterly throughout Wednesday and into Thursday leading to blizzard conditions.

"Accumulations could reach as much as 25cm in higher parts of the east, with 5 to 10cm quite widely at lower levels. This risk of large accumulations extends through the central belt too.

"The snow is likely to be dry and powdery due to how cold and dry the air is.

"Powder snow accumulates quicker and blows around easier, which means it's difficult to clear and could block roads, meaning some rural areas could become cut off."

Transport minister Humza Yousaf has urged people to consider if their journeys are necessary during the worst periods of weather.

Conditions are likely to remain cold on Thursday, with heavy further snow in the central belt.

"There's no let up in the cold and wintry weather, even into the weekend, with further snow expected, especially in southern and central areas," Sean added.