Weather warnings for Storm Doris have been upgraded, with heavy snow now forecast in Glasgow.

After a mainly mild February, gales, snow are due to sweep in on Thursday.

The Met Office initially issued a yellow 'be aware' warning for snow in Strathclyde, but this has now been upgraded to amber 'be prepared'. A yellow warning for strong winds is also in place

Amber warnings for snow have also been issued by the Met Office for Central, Tayside & Fife and Dumfries, Galloway, Lothian & Borders.

Up to 15cm of snow is expected to fall "quite widely" across Scotland, with accumulations of 30cm potentially falling on hills above 300 metres.

Winds of up to 80mph are expected to hit northern Scotland on Wednesday before Doris arrives from the Atlantic on Thursday, the Met Office said.

Glasgow Times:

On Thursday, the strongest winds are forecast across England but there could be gusts of 50mph to 60mph across southern and eastern Scotland.

The Met Office said: "As storm Doris moves eastwards across central parts of the UK on Thursday, a spell of heavy snow is expected on its northern flank.

"There is some uncertainty over the track of Doris and, therefore, over the extent of snowfall, but confidence is now higher for disruptive snow to affect the amber area.

"Heavy snow is expected on Thursday. Accumulations of 10 to 15cm are likely quite widely, with 20 to 30cm falling on hills above 300 metres.

"This will lead to disruption to transport and perhaps power supplies."

Stein Connelly, of Traffic Scotland, said: ''With the unsettled conditions expected over the next few days, we are advising road users to check all of the available information on the Traffic Scotland website before they set off on their journey.

''On Thursday the worst of any snow will be on the higher routes, especially in the central and south of Scotland, and we would ask road users to keep this in mind when they are planning their journeys and that they drive according to the conditions.

''We have more gritters than ever before to spread salt as conditions dictate and salt stocks remain healthy.

''The Traffic Scotland twitter feed and website has the reliable traffic and travel information that drivers need to make informed decisions.''

Storm Doris is the first major winter weather front for two months.

The north of the country was worst-affected, with homes losing power when Storm Conor hit on Boxing Day with winds of more than 90mph.

Transport minister Humza Yousaf said: "The Met Office is telling us that Storm Doris will bring a mixture of heavy snow, sleet and rain across central and southern areas and this will lead to poor driving conditions, especially around the Southern Uplands.

"Transport Scotland is working with the relevant organisations, such as Police Scotland and the road operating companies, to try to mitigate the effects of this latest set of wintry conditions, but we would ask road users to be mindful that disruption is likely and to plan accordingly.

"We have more gritters available across the trunk roads this year than ever before and these will be out with patrols across the night and into tomorrow morning and beyond. There is plenty of salt available for treating the roads and the winter control rooms are monitoring conditions 24/7."

Superintendent Fraser Candlish urged drivers to adjust to the conditions.

He said: "With a substantial risk of travel disruption due to the weather, motorists should consider whether their journey is absolutely necessary. If you do decide to travel, check local advice and ensure your vehicle is well prepared before setting off.

"Keep yourself safe by adjusting your driving to suit the road conditions and leave more space between you and the vehicle in front.

"Plan for the worst-case scenario by ensuring you have sufficient supplies, including food, water, warm clothes and a fully charged mobile phone. Road policing crews will be patrolling the road network to keep people safe during this period - please follow our advice to travel with extra caution."