Locals have been warned downpours forecast this weekend could prompt flooding.
Weather forecasters predict heavy rain throughout the day Friday along with snow on the hills throughout the east.
Some travel disruption is expected as a heavy band of rain collides with cold air.
Edinburgh is likely to miss the worst of the bad weather, with the Borders and parts of the Lothians likely to be the worst hit.
Grahame Madge of the Met Office said: “This northerly area will see the greatest impacts, as we are looking at between six and eight inches (15-20cm) of snowfall over a prolonged period.
“Elevation is the key to these two warnings. They are both part of the same system, where rain coming up from England hits the cold air over Scotland.
“It only misses the central belt because the land is low-lying. Here, you may see some heavy rain.
“Cold air will influence Scotland’s weather over the next few days. Rain moving north pushes into cold air from the Arctic and Scandinavia.
“Because this air is relatively strong, it manages to resist the rain for a good period of time, which means the snow stalls over the Highlands.”
