Shetland Islands Broadcasting Company

Although snow plough and gritting crews are again operating today, the Shetland Island Council has asked drivers to consider whether they need to travel.

As the wintry weather continues, affecting transport, including some flights at Sumburgh, there is a debate on what qualifies as a blizzard.

Officially a blizzard is a driving snow-storm which lasts at least three hours, during which the wind is always above 30 knots, visibility is never greater than four hundred metres and the temperature is always lower than minus seven degrees.

The temperature in Shetland will depend on location with areas nearer the sea slightly warmer, with the sea temperature still warmer than usual for the time of year.

The Aith lifeboat, the coastguard helicopter based at Sumburgh and the Lerwick coastguard rescue team, were tasked when emergency beacon signals were received from a small fishing vessel, with the location narrowed down to Port Arthur in Scalloway harbour.

The author Jonathan Kemp, who is also Viscount Rochdale, has started from Shetland his 296-day, 2,600 mile journey across Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland and Northern Ireland.

In the Scottish parliament election in May, Brian Nugent is standing as Shetland constituency candidate for Sovereignty and the leading candidate for Sovereignty in the Highlands and Islands regional list.