About 16,000 homes in Scotland were without electricity for the second consecutive night due to snowstorms, Scottish Power announced Thursday. The lack of power meant that many of the homes were also without heating as temperatures plunged overnight to -14°C (7 F) in Aviemore and -12°C (10 F) in Perth, Altnaharra and Lanark.

Scottish Power said it might take another 24 hours to restore power to the homes, all of which were located in remote areas. We are finding new damage as we get access to it. There are still some pylons that only the helicopter can reach,a spokeswoman said. Restoration time at the moment is difficult to judge. We will try to get as many people back on today, but there is a strong chance some of them may be off for another night, she added. Most major roads had been cleared and rail traffic was once again rolling on Wednesday, but many secondary roads remained closed.

The coming days will bring more severe frost early and late, further snow acculumation is expected mainly for the East. Drivers are adviced that melting and freezing might cause hazardous driving conditions throughout the British Isles. If you plan to travel overnight, make sure to carry a warm blanket in your car boot, in case you should get stuck in an remote area.