Oban is being battered by high as Storm Eowyn continues to howl across Scotland.
The area is braced for the very worst weather with businesses closed and public transport is cancelled across the region.
Locals say they felt high winds from the early morning, but the worst of Storm Eowyn began to hit the town from 10am.
Wind speeds have only increased since then and power cuts are beginning to hit the area.
Luing, Easdale, parts of Seil and Oban have been impacted, and number roads have been affected by fallen trees.
Police Scotland has advised people not to travel in Argyll and Bute.
Difficult travel conditions
Travelling to and from Oban is proving particularly difficult.
Police said the Erskine Bridge had closed, and the road from Inveraray is only possible with care due to water on the road.
A tree is down on the road near Lorn and Islands Hospital. There are reports a wall has collapsed on Craigard Brae.
And the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful has been closed between the Viewpoint Car Park (junction between the A83 and B828) and Ardgartan due to the high wind speeds.
A decision about returning traffic to the A83 will be made “as soon conditions allow”.
More generally, a red weather warning is in place for parts of the west Highlands, as the “once in a generation” brings the threat of “danger to life” for residents.
Joy Dunlop, weather presenter from Connel, near Oban, told the BBC: “It is going to stay very blustery throughout today and into Saturday morning.”
‘I have not seen these wind speeds before’
“At 6pm tonight we are still looking at gusts of 60mph inland.”
Winds of 80mph have already hit Kintyre and winds of up to 90mph or 100mph have been predicted for the west coast.
Joy added: “The wind speeds in Ireland are something I have never seen before and that is what is coming to us.”
Metrologist Calum MacColl said Tiree was in the eye of the storm at 11am.
He said: “The centre of Storm Eowyn has tracked right over the top of Tiree, where the observation site has recorded its lowest ever pressure reading of 941.9 hPa!
“Previous was 944.7 hPa on February 9, 1988.”
Oban Lifeboat launches into Storm Éowyn
Video shows that the Oban Lifeboat was sent out at 1.40pm today during what were extremely challenging storm conditions.
A spokesperson for the RLNI said: “We received a report of a life jacket floating in Oban Bay, so we deployed the lifeboat to establish whether there was anyone there.
“It was quickly determined that no one was in trouble.”
While returning to the lifeboat station, the Coastguard rescue centre informed the crew of a second issue.
A 999 call had reported that a fishing boat had been blown from its moorings by the forceful winds.
The crew of the fishing boat soon revealed that they had gone on board to check the mooring ropes just before the vessel broke away from its berth.
The lifeboat stood by until the crew of the fishing boat were able to return to their berth and safely secure the vessel.
CalMac and West Coast Motors cancelled as Storm Eowyn does his worst
CalMac has cancelled all services, as has ScotRail.
West Coast Motors who run bus services in the town, posted online to say: “Due to Storm Eowyn, we regret to inform you that all West Coast Motors services have been cancelled on Friday, January 24.
“All services are expected to resume as normal on Saturday.”
It is far from the only businesses to stay closed as the weather hits, though some have promised to open later if conditions improve.
Tesco is still open, despite concerns it might be closed due to the risk of life warning.
The Original Factory Shop and Marks and Spencer are closed but hope to open later in the day if conditions improve.
A statement from Marks and Spencer read: “The safety of our colleagues and customers is paramount to us and as a result of the Red Weather Warning guidance issued in the local area, M&S Oban will be CLOSED between 9am and 5.30pm.
“We hope to reopen the store at 5.30pm until our usual closing time of 8pm.”
The retailer said it would assess whether it is safe to stick to that plan for opening this evening.
Roxy’s Coffee and Tea House is closed until Saturday.
Owner Donna MacCulloch said: “Roxy’s will be closed tomorrow due to extreme weather warnings.
“Stay safe and see you all Saturday.”
Medical centre will continue to offer services despite Storm Eowyn
Lorn Medical Centre remains open but has advised people not to travel if unnecessary.
A statement online read: “We will be open as normal.
“If you cannot attend due to the weather, please let us know as soon as possible.
“If you will be attending, please ensure you are safe to do so.”
Power cuts hit Mull
Power cuts hit Mull, with 147 homes impacted by noon.
By 2pm houses in parts of Oban and surrounding areas such as Balvicar, Luing and Easdale were reporting power outages.
A spokesman for SSEN said it had taken a number of steps to prepare for the arrival of Storm Eowyn, including moving to Red Alert status for the whole of the north of Scotland.
They said: “This storm is forecast to be the worst of the winter so far and disruption to the electricity network is expected.
“Our red alert status reflects the severity of the weather forecast and our latest assessment of the potentially high impact this storm is expected to have on the network.
“We’ve been monitoring the development of Storm Eowyn for a number of days as it’s strengthened and tracked further north than initially forecast.
“This forward planning means a number of additional measures are now in place to support you at this time.”
If you have pictures of the storm, please send them to louise.glen@pressandjournal.co.uk.
Have you signed up for our Oban and Hebrides newsletter?
Every week our Oban-based reporter Louise Glen curates the best news in the area.
Sign up here for local news straight to your inbox.
Conversation