Thousands of people spent the weekend without electricity as the clear-up after a series of storms continued.
Last night Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution (SHEPD) said nearly 9,000 customers were still without power after the blackouts started three days ago.
However, the company was hopeful it would be able to restore supplies across the network by midnight last night.
A number of schools will remain closed at the start of the week after suffering structural damage in the storms, while public transport around the north remains severely disrupted.
And the unrelenting stormy conditions will continue today – with 70mph gales hitting the Western Isles, Orkney, Shetland and the north coast of the mainland.
The Met Office issued a yellow “be aware” weather warning covering the areas.
A further warning covering all of the Highlands has been issued for heavy rain.
The rain, combined with melting snow, could cause flooding in some areas.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued flood warnings covering the Lairg area in Sutherland, as well as the Speyside and Findhorn areas.
Less severe flood alerts have been issued covering Skye, Lochaber and Ross-shire.
At the height of the storms SHEPD had more than 1,000 staff working to restore supplies, with more than 100,000 properties affected by power cuts.
Efforts throughout Saturday to improve the situation were hampered in many areas by driving snow and further high winds.
Among the worst hit areas were rural parts of Inverness-shire, Dingwall, Caithness and the Western Isles.
More than 20,000 meals and 30,000 hot drinks were supplied to people affected by the power cuts by mobile welfare units drafted in by the power supplier.
Alan Broadbent, director of engineering at SHEPD, said: “Where ever it was safe to do so, our engineers worked through the night to carry out repairs.
“This really became a fight with the weather – we have the people, the resources, the commitment, but what we really need is a bit of luck for the weather to let us do our job and bring comfort to our customers, who had to endure such appalling disruption.
“I would again like to apologise to them for this.”
Last night Highland Council confirmed that neither Brora Primary School nor Canisbay Primary School will reopen today because of roof damage.
At Brora a contractor will be called to make the building watertight and it is envisaged that the school will be open to pupils tomorrow.
The roof covering over the kitchen at Canisbay Primary School has been damaged and the power has been off.
It is anticipated that the school will be open tomorrow or Wednesday.
Portree Primary and Staffin Schools on Skye will also remain closed due to power and heating problems.
There was also some storm damage to Wick High School and Invergordon Academy but it is expected that both schools will be open today as normal.
Ferry travel was severely disrupted throughout the weekend, with sailings to the Western Isles, Shetland and Orkney all cancelled.
Train travel was also affected, with services on the main line between Glasgow and Inverness severely delayed due to efforts to clear the line of debris.
Lines between the Highland capital, Kyle and Wick were similarly disrupted.