Winds of more than 90mph have hit the west of Scotland as Storm Gertrude sweeps the country, causing power cuts and travel disruption.
Storm Gertrude has also brought the largest waves on planet earth with her to the coast of Scotland.
Strong winds, heavy rain, snow and ice were forecast in some areas on Friday as the extreme weather continues to batter the British Isles.
Storm Gertrude: Red “risk to life” warning issued in Scotland
Gusts of 91mph were recorded in South Uist, while on the mainland the Forth Road Bridge and Inverbervie in Aberdeenshire were hit by winds of 69mph.
Forth Road Bridge closed to all vehicles
Speeds are expected to reach around 65mph in the Borders and the North East of England later in the day and pushing 80mph in North Yorkshire.
Scottish Hydro is working to reconnect hundreds of homes in the west and north-east of Scotland that have lost power in the high winds.
A landslip on the A82 at Letter Finlay between Spean Bridge and Invergarry caused a 150- mile (241km) diversion for journeys between Fort William and Inverness.
Fallen trees are affecting many routes and the Forth, Tay and Kessock bridges have been closed.
Storm Gertrude: Schools closed across Aberdeenshire.
Storm Gertrude: School closures in the Highlands and Islands
Met Office amber “be prepared” warnings are in place for Northern Ireland, Scotland and north west and north east England.
Yellow “be aware” warnings for rain, snow and ice are in place across much of the UK.
Forecasters said: “Winds are expected to widely gust 60-70mph, possibly up to 80mph along exposed coasts and over hills.
“Be prepared for the likelihood of difficult driving conditions and disruption to travel, such as cancellation to ferry services and bridge closures.“
A succession of storms since December has seen widespread flooding and major disruption to travel, with the latest front expected to continue through the weekend.
All schools in the Northern and Western Isles have been closed and train and ferry services vastly reduced in Scotland.
ScotRail is operating a limited service, with routes in the Highlands and west coast particularly affected.
Storm Gertrude: Many Highland roads blocked or closed
Operators said hundreds of engineers will be deployed across the network to inspect lines, repair damage and reopen routes as quickly as possible.
Phil Verster, ScotRail Alliance managing director, said: “We will be withdrawing some services until the worst of the storm has passed.
The weather has caused extensive damage to homes across Scotland, with the Scottish Fire and Rescue service called to a number of wind-related incidents.
A number of people were injured on the A96 in Huntly when a lorry was blown over on to a car.
The fire service said the people in the car managed to get themselves clear but the lorry driver had to be freed by firefighters. The occupants of both vehicles suffered a variety of injuries but none are believed to be life-threatening.
In Clydebank, two families were evacuated after scaffolding crashed through the roof of a housing block at around 7am.
Another family had to be evacuated from a house in Wishaw as a 50ft (15m) tree was threatening to damage the property.
A number of dangerous items were also blown on to roads across the country, including roof tiles, a caravan, corrugated iron and an agricultural polytunnel.
Assistant Chief Officer Lewis Ramsay said: “Our crews are here to respond to the needs of our local communities and provide the highest level of emergency response.
“Firefighters are working with partner agencies to resolve incidents as quickly as possible and are fully committed to protect our communities and work to ensure their safety during this period of difficult weather. We will continue to respond wherever we are needed.”
Scottish Hydro said engineers were working to reconnect supplies in Aberdeenshire, Perthshire, the Western Isles, Skye and Oban but repairs would depend on the weather.
Emergency services were called out to two lorries blown over on the A96 near Huntly and on the M9 near Dunblane in the early hours. The extent of any injuries is not known.
Drivers also had to avoid a trampoline blown on to the Newtonhill flyover near the A90 in Aberdeen at around 6am.
A lorry was hit by car on north-east road after toppling in high wind.
Police Scotland said a member of the public moved it from the road and officers were not needed. A force spokesman advised people to peg down trampolines and garden furniture in high winds.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has almost 40 flood warnings in place covering Ayrshire, Tayside, west central Scotland and the Highlands.
The nicer side of Storm Gertrude
P&O Ferries said the Pride of Hull ferry, from Rotterdam, had been unable to berth this morning due to “extreme weather conditions”.
The ferry, which was due to arrive at the port in Hull at 7am, will attempt to berth again at around 2.30pm.
In a tweet, the company said: “Due to extreme weather conditions in Hull, the Pride of Hull is unable to berth. A further attempt will be made when the weather improves.”
A spokesman for P&O Ferries said the ferry had experienced winds of 60 knots this morning, which he described as “rare”.
He added that passengers on the evening service to Rotterdam would not be affected by this disruption.