Drivers pulled over to take photographs of the ice mass at the sea loch. Little wonder, it is a startlingly rare phenomenon to see with the naked eye.

Yet, as the North Sea froze as it fed into Loch Fleet in Sutherland between Dornoch and Golspie, where the Met Office recorded temperatures of -7°C (19°F) and -8°C (17°F) on respective nights, it betrayed how cold Scotland is right now.

To chill the spirits further this Blue Monday, forecasters warn worse is very much on the way.

READ MORE: Cold weather ‘here to stay’ with disruptive snow possible, say forecasters 

Tonight’s evening rush hour is already forecast to be a miserable affair, with gales in the north, snow on high ground and torrential rain in the Central Belt.

Transport networks, particularly west coast ferries, are likely to be disrupted.
Luke Miall, of the Met Office, said: “It’s Blue Monday and the temperature maps look pretty blue, too. It has been cold the last few nights and looks to be getting even colder by the middle of this week.

“In higher spots, where snow is lying, we might see -11°C (12°F) or even -12°C (10°F) on Wednesday night.”

The coldest night the UK has seen so far this winter was the -10.8°C (12°F) at Braemar, Aberdeeshire, last week.

The term “Blue Monday” was dreamed up by Dr Cliff Arnall, a psychologist formerly of Cardiff University, to portray the most depressing day of the year. 
He says the third Monday in January is the day when people lose the last glow of the festive period, break New Year resolutions, realise they have put on weight and look out to miserable weather conditions.

Mr Miall added: “The accompanying frontal system will bring heavy rain and hill snow above 300 metres (almost 1,000ft).

“Anyone driving home after work in the Central Belt will face difficult conditions, with a lot of rain on the ground.  There could be blizzards in the north.”

A forecast of winds gusting to 55mph has placed many west coast ferry services on notice for delay or cancellation today.

Caledonian MacBrayne said the weather could affect sailings from Oban to Coll and Tiree, Fionnphort to Iona, Ullapool to Stornoway, and between Uig, Skye, and Lochmaddy, North Uist.

The coldest spell for six years is likely to see 500 gritters and 100 snowploughs deployed as the expected five-week big chill from Europe brings an estimated 10 inches of snow to some areas of Scotland, likely beginning next week.

The RAC predicts there will be up to 4,000 extra vehicle breakdowns daily across all UK road service providers. 

Its spokesman Simon Williams said “This is the biggest test of the country’s winter resilience since the Beast from the East [last February/March].

“Almost all gritters will be out. Motorists should pack a blanket, shovel and phone battery charger in case they are needed.”

Some 500 gritters in Scotland are digging into a 600,000 tonne salt mountain. 
Network Rail will use 34 de-icing trains around the UK.