All schools in the Western Isles and Shetland will be closed today as Storm Abigail sweeps across the north.
Much of the region was battered by gales and heavy rain last night.
And Met Office amber weather warnings – urging people to “be prepared” – remain in place across most communities this morning.
Yesterday’s highest gust was recorded at the summit of Cairn Gorm, at a speed of 101mph.
Almost all CalMac ferry sailings were cancelled or under review yesterday afternoon.
Meanwhile, a ferry with five schoolchildren onboard faced the worst of the choppy waters while travelling from Skye to Raasay.
The pupils were travelling home after Portree High School on Skye closed early because of the bad weather.
Thankfully, the ferry eventually arrived safely on land.
An Easyjet pilot also showed off his impressive landing skills at Inverness Airport as he struggled to ground the plane in the midst of high winds.
Last night, Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution said it was monitoring the situation closely, with more than 500 engineers on stand-by in the north in case of power-cuts caused by expected 90mph winds and lightning strikes.
Western Isles Council said every school and nursery in its area would be closed to pupils on Friday, however they will be open for teaching staff from 10am.
Shetland Council also confirmed that all schools would remain closed, as will Shetland College.
Buses will also be running a limited service, with all of the islands’ causeways closed to high sided vehicles.
The Met Office has warned that gusts of 70 to 80mph are likely – potentially reaching up to 90mph across exposed spots in the north-west of Scotland.
The amber warning is in place until midday today, while a less severe yellow warning is in place until 11pm.
Last night, Met Office meteorologist Emma Sharples explained: “The main centre of the low pressure system around which all the winds are going to be strongest is moving from the Atlantic towards the north west parts of Scotland at the moment.
“That’s going to continue to edge towards us.
“There’s obviously rain already setting in and winds strengthening across the country and that will continue to be the case through the rest of this evening, with the band of rain spreading eastwards across Scotland and then the wind turning from a south westerly to more of a westerly as we go through towards midnight.”