Weather Warning
Written by admin on December 5, 2013
The public across Scotland are tonight being warned of potential disruption over the next 24-36 hours due to severe winter gales and the potential of flooding on east and west coasts.
The Met Office have issued an Amber ‘Be Prepared’ warning covering most parts of Scotland, effective from 2am till 4pm on Thursday, with the worst of the impacts expected in the period up to mid-day, with wind speeds likely to exceed 80mph in some places.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have also issued a number of Flood Alerts and Warnings, with a focus on potential coastal flooding on east and west coasts through Thursday and into Friday.
The forecast conditions are already having an impact on transport and travel for Thursday morning.
Police Scotland have tonight advised drivers that from early tomorrow morning, and throughout the rush-hour period of 7-9pm, the conditions for road travel are likely to be extremely poor and there is a high risk of disruption for road journeys across Scotland, particularly in the west.
Police have warned drivers that if they do travel, they are likely to experience significant delays due to high winds and driving rain creating surface water and an increased risk of flash flooding on many roads.
Transport Scotland have said that the forecast wind-speeds could have a particular impact on Scotland’s major bridges, which may result in them being closed to traffic for periods when the highest gusts are experienced in the run up to and during the morning peak period.
Network Rail have tonight told commuters that service levels and speeds will being reduced as a safety precaution when winds are at their peak.
Passengers should check before they travel, as some routes and stations will not be served tomorrow until the worst of the gale force winds have passed.
Ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne have said that the forecast is looking particularly severe for the morning and are advising all ferry travellers to take this into account when planning journeys in the next few days.
Air passengers are advised to check with airports and airlines before travelling.
Power companies are also monitoring the forecasts carefully and have engineers ready to take action across the country to deal with any power line issues or general supply disruption.
Local Authorities across the country have in place their usual arrangements for dealing with severe weather, working with relevant partners.
