THOUSANDS of homes in the Highlands and islands were left without power yesterday after a lightning strike damaged vital equipment.
About 18,000 properties were left without electricity as parts of the region were again battered by storms.
And forecasters warned last night that the weather could get even worse before the end of the week.
Yesterday’s power cut affected customers in the Western Isles and north-west Highlands. The three hospitals on Lewis and Harris also lost power, but internal back-up generators switched on immediately.
Engineers restored supplies to about half the properties by 11.30am, with the remaining premises being reconnected by 1pm.
A spokesman for Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution said an investigation into the incident was still being carried out.
But he confirmed lightning was believed to have struck equipment on the mainland around 10.30am. The Met Office issued a yellow “be aware” warning, forecasting strong winds across the region from tomorrow morning.
The southerly winds could reach gale force in coastal areas and on high ground inland.
And an additional warning was issued for Lochaber, Badenoch and southern parts of Inverness-shire, where there will be persistent heavy rain.
Experts are continuing to monitor weather patterns and will update the warning today.
Aberdeen-based duty forecaster for the Met Office, Peter Sloss, said that today would be dry and bright for much of the Highlands, while the Western Isles and parts of the west coast would get showers.
He added: “The action starts on Tuesday night into Wednesday, with the rain coming in off the Atlantic.
“It will get heavy during Wednesday but mostly in the southern parts of the Highlands, around Dalwhinnie and Fort William.
“They will be strong southerly winds so areas such as Inverness, Moray and Caithness will be more sheltered.”
Mr Sloss said that the rain would be accompanied by strong winds, with gusts reaching severe gale force at times.
He said the winds on Thursday could hit speeds of 70mph in the early part of the day, before dropping later on.
Disruption to ferry travel continued yesterday, with Caledonian MacBrayne services from Oban, Mallaig, the Inner Hebrides and Western Isles delayed because of gusts of up to 40mph.
The Tayinloan to Isle of Gigha service in Kintyre was also disrupted because of a build-up of sand and seaweed washed on to the Tayinloan slipway by a heavy swell.
And the wintry weather brought some snow back to the Cairngorms, where ski bosses are hoping to open for the weekend before Christmas. The resort has been hit by winds of up to 100mph in the past few days, forcing the closure of the mountain railway.