Railway lines in the north and north-east will fall silent tomorrow as Network Rail warns of further cancellations amidst the clean-up from Storm Isha.
Winds of 168 miles per hour hit Glencoe in Lochaber last night as a red weather warning hit the north of Scotland, leaving a number of homes without power and causing widespread travel disruption.
Engineers and crews have been working around the clock to repair damage and restore order amidst an existing yellow weather warning for wind.
However, Network Rail is warning of further misery in the days ahead as storm Jocelyn takes hold on Tuesday.
Record wind speeds prompts ‘danger to life’ warning
Glencoe’s 168mph winds were the second highest ever recorded in UK history, while Kirkwall had gusts of 81mph and Wick saw highs of 80mph.
A tornado alert was issued on Sunday night for most of Scotland, including the Highlands and some parts of Aberdeenshire.
The “danger to life” amber warning for wind, which was in place from 6pm last night ended at 6am today.
Late last night, the Met Office’s red alert for wind, which covered parts of the Highlands, Aberdeenshire and Moray, was only the fifth one ever to be put out.
The previous warnings took place in December 2011, January 2012, January 2016 and November 2021 respectively.
Flight disruptions amid Storm Isha
A number of flights were grounded at Aberdeen International Airport today due to the “dangerous” weather conditions caused by Storm Isha.
According to Aberdeen Airport’s website, the following flights have been cancelled today:
Departures:
6am: Amsterdam
6.30am: Sumburgh
8.55am: Kirkwall
2.25pm: Sumburgh
4.40pm: London Heathrow
Arrivals:
8.25am: Kirkwall
9.15am: Sumburgh
11.20am: Kirkwall
3.55pm: London Heathrow
5.05pm: Sumburgh
All flights to and from Inverness Airport are running as normal.
Engineers battle to repair significant damage to Scotland’s rail network
Network Rail engineers are battling the elements to repair damage to Scotland’s rail network.
Rail bosses confirmed Storm Isha had caused a “huge amount of damage” leaving many lines blocked by debris and fallen trees.
All train services were suspended across the country since 7pm on Sunday, with officials warning of further disruption in the days ahead.
Storm Jocelyn is forecast to take hold on Tuesday, generating wind speeds of up to 65mph.
Concerned for the safety of passengers and staff, Network Rail has announced it will suspend services from 7pm on Tuesday.
Scheduled services on Wednesday are expected to start later in the day as engineers inspect the lines for damage.
The latest announcement comes as chainsaw teams and specialist overhead line engineers work flat out to clear trees and repair damaged power lines on multiple routes.
The Far North Line is among those affected as a fallen tree blocked the line near Wick.
Liam Sumpter, route director, Network Rail Scotland, said: “Storm Isha has caused a huge amount of damage across Scotland’s Railway.
“My thanks go to our teams, who’ve been working around-the-clock to remove fallen trees and debris while carrying out both minor and major repairs to damaged infrastructure.
“While we are continuing to re-open routes when it is safe to do so, we unfortunately expect even more disruption in the coming days as Storm Jocelyn arrives in Scotland.”
Lineside neighbours are being urged to ensure all garden furniture is secure to prevent further damage to rail lines.
A ScotRail tweet earlier today said: “There are currently no ScotRail services running following Storm Isha. This is for safety reasons. We’ll keep our app, website and JourneyCheck page fully updated, so please check them regularly for updates.”
Homes without power
Homes across Aberdeenshire, Moray, the Highlands and the Western Isles are without power according to SSEN’s power track map.
Power cuts affected around 25,000 properties across the north and north-east overnight, with scores of households still offline.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks have now set up welfare stations in several communities as they work to restore power.
Hot food and drinks are being served on Balconie Street in Evanton from 8am tomorrow.
This evening, catering was also being provided at Cannich Stores in Cannich, near Beauly.
Roads affected
Lots of routes across the region have been impacted by fallen trees and damaged power lines, with Highland Council urging people to travel only if their journey is necessary.
The authority said: “The warning in Highland has been downgraded to Amber from 5am, however consider if your journey is necessary as many routes are blocked by fallen trees and debris.”
Ferry services disrupted due to Storm Isha
There has also been disruption to CalMac services on the west coast, with the following routes cancelled today:
- Ardmhor to Eriskay
- Mallaig to Armadale
- Mallaig to Small Isles
- Mallaig/Oban to Lochboisdale
- Oban to Castlebay
- Oban to Coll and Tiree
- Oban to Colonsay, Port Askaig and Kennacraig
Also on the west coast, the coastguard were called at 11.30pm last night to reports of a yacht that had come off its moorings at Kerrara near Oban, which landed on a nearby beach.
A coastguard spokeswoman confirmed that they “did not find” any person on the yacht.
A boat also came off its moorings near Plockton due to the high winds, with coastguard being called at 11.15am today.
Like the incident at Kerrara, nobody was onboard.
Schools closed
Five primary schools in Aberdeenshire – Auchterless, Hatton of Fintray, Keithhall, Midmar and Tarland – are closed to all pupils and staff due to there being no power.