Tag: Met Office

Goodbye, Storm Ciara – but be prepared for snow and high winds

MET OFFICE: Yellow Warning for Wind and Snow

Today:

Unsettled weather turning bitter with wintry showers carried on strong to gale westerly winds, interspersed by brief interludes of weak sunshine. Best of the limited shelter across southern areas of Dumfries and Galloway. Maximum temperature 4 °C.

Tonight:

Gales continuing to bring wintry showers, with east in best of shelter. Fresh snow gathering away from the lowest levels, but even here chance of some later slushy deposits. Minimum temperature 0 °C.

Chief Meteorologist Frank Saunders said:  “In the wake of Storm Ciara, it’ll remain unsettled and very windy across the UK and it’ll turn colder with wintry showers and ice an additional hazard, as we head into the new week.

A wind and snow warning is in force for parts of Northern Ireland and Scotland on Monday as well as a further yellow wind warning in the south west of England.”

You can keep up to date with the latest forecast and warnings from the Met Office using our forecast pages and by following us on Twitter and Facebook, as well as using our mobile app which is available for iPhone from the App store and for Android from the Google Play store.

Storm Ciara update

Met Office warnings for Edinburgh:

SUNDAY – Yellow warning of WIND

Storm Ciara will bring very strong winds and potentially some disruption to travel throughout Sunday.

– Injuries and danger to life from flying debris are possible

– Injuries and danger to life could occur from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties

– Some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs, could happen

– Road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, with longer journey times and cancellations possible

– Some roads and bridges may close

– Power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage.

Persistent and heavy rain may lead to flooding and disruption. – Homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings – Delays or cancellations to train and bus services are possible – Spray and flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures – Possible power cuts and loss of other services to some homes and businesses – There is a chance of fast flowing or deep floodwater, causing a danger to life.

MONDAY – Yellow weather warning of WIND

Heavy snow and strong winds will combine to lead to disruption to travel , especially over higher routes.

– Possible travel delays on roads stranding some vehicles and passengers

– Possible delays or cancellations to rail and air travel

– Power cuts may occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected.

– Delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges likely.

TUESDAY – Yellow weather warning of SNOW

Heavy snow and strong winds will combine to lead to disruption to travel , especially over higher routes.

– Possible travel delays on roads stranding some vehicles and passengers

– Possible delays or cancellations to rail and air travel

– Power cuts may occur and other services, such as mobile phone coverage, may be affected.

– Delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges likely

Be prepared warning as more rain forecast

A Met Office yellow warning remains in place until 6pm this evening. Forecasters say heavy rain possible in the Edinburgh area, perhaps leading to travel disruption and some flooding.

This severe weather follows several instances of exceptional rainfall throughout June, July and, most recently this week, resulting in localised flooding and surface water around the city. Continue reading Be prepared warning as more rain forecast

All city council schools and nurseries CLOSED today

Due to weather conditions, all City of Edinburgh Council-operated nurseries and primary, secondary and special schools will be CLOSED today. The council will continue to monitor weather updates for later in the week.

All Edinburgh College campuses are also closed and they too will update bout the situation for tomorrow later today

Fifty years of winter: who feels the deepest chill?

  • Scotland East takes the coldest and frostiest crown with an average winter temperature of 2.3 degrees and 44 days of frost – 18 days more than the least frosty region England South West / Wales South.

  • Scotland North has the most rain, seeing over 8 weeks of rainy days during winter. That’s 25 days more than the driest region East Anglia which only suffers a month’s worth of rainy days.

  • England South East/Central sees the most winter sun with a total of 180 hours of clear sunshine during December, January and February. That’s 77 hours more than the darkest region Scotland North which sees an average of 103 hours of cloudless sunshine, almost an hour less sunshine a day.

  • England and Wales see 45 hours more clear sunshine during winter than Scotland, and 24 hours more than Northern Ireland.

  • When compared to England and Wales, Scotland has 9 more days of frost, 12 more days of rain and is 1.4 degrees colder on average during winter.

There’s nothing more British than a conversation about the weather, and with winter well and truly here it’s often a moan. Whether it’s too cold, too dark or even too warm to snow, it seems we’re never quite happy with what’s going on outside. Some of us, however, have more reason to complain than others … particularly if you live in Scotland! Continue reading Fifty years of winter: who feels the deepest chill?

Roads team preparing for all conditions

The Winter fleet for Scotland’s trunk roads has been expanded to help make it more responsive to weather conditions. As well as more than two hundred traditional gritters located at 42 depots across the country, Transport Scotland has procured a new recovery vehicle which will help mitigate the impacts of flooding. It has been custom fitted with a remote controlled crane and specialist pump to help clear up incidents. Continue reading Roads team preparing for all conditions

Emergency planners meet as wild winds batter Scotland

FORTH ROAD BRIDGE CLOSED – lorry blown over

Ministers have been updated on preparations for the wintry weather expected in Scotland this week at a meeting of the Scottish Government’s resilience team yesterday. The Met Office has issued several Yellow (Be Aware) warnings for snow and strong winds from today through to Friday.

Details are available at http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/warnings

The meeting, chaired by Deputy First Minister, John Swinney and Transport Minister, Humza Yousaf, covered planning for all major modes of transport and the utilities. The flood risk for Scotland remains low for the next few days.

The conditions will lead to some difficult driving conditions. The strong winds will be the most immediate issue with likely road bridge restrictions on Wednesday, especially for high-sided vehicles. When combined with the sleet and snow showers there is also a risk of snow drifts on higher routes on Thursday and Friday.

Gritting teams will be out across the period to help keep the trunk roads moving. Patrols will also be stationed at strategic locations on the network to make sure that they can respond to any emerging issues.

Disruption to other transport modes, especially ferries tomorrow, is a possibility and passengers should check the latest on conditions before they set-off on their journeys.

Utilities companies are putting the necessary arrangements in place to cope with incidents should they arise.

Transport Minister, Humza Yousaf said: “We will be seeing cold and windy conditions over the next few days and plans are in place to help us do all we can to mitigate the impact of the snow and gale force winds.

“The transport network is likely to be the first sector affected by strong winds on Wednesday with possibility of HGV restrictions on bridges. Our winter treatments will be carried-out across the period with patrols out where required. We have more gritters available than before and salt is in plentiful supply.

“Key routes will be monitored through our network of weather stations and live cameras and the Traffic Scotland National Traffic Control Centre will take all of this information and send it out to road users through the website and Traffic Scotland twitter feed on a 24/7 basis.

“We would ask that people keep the conditions in mind when they are making their travel plans and leave plenty of time. We are making as much information available as possible to allow the public to make informed decisions.  The winter treatments page on the Traffic Scotland website has details of which routes are being treated and our Trunk Road Gritter Tracker lets road users see where gritters have been out in the last 24 hours.

“Travel operators websites will have all of the relevant information on ferries, rail and air and Traffic Scotland has a webpage with all of these links. The advice is to check before travel to make sure that you get to your destination safely.”

Chief Superintendent Andy Edmonston, Head of Road Policing, said: “With a risk of weather-related disruption for the remainder of the working week, motorists should bear in mind the risk of potentially hazardous driving conditions to come.

“If you are traveling, please ensure your vehicle is well prepared before setting off; making sure your windscreens are completely free of snow and ice; ensure your number plate is clear; and your lights are working and clean.

“Ensure you have sufficient fuel in the vehicle, as well as supplies for yourself and passengers, including food, water, warm clothes and a fully charged mobile phone. Check your route before you set off, and consider options for an alternative route, if necessary. Be aware public transport could be disrupted and restrictions could be in effect on road bridges.

“Motorists should also adapt their driving to suit road conditions, as well as the behaviour of other road users, including leaving more space between vehicles.

“Road Policing crews will be patrolling the trunk roads and other priority routes to keep people safe during this period – please follow our advice and travel with caution.”

The Scottish Government’s annual resilience marketing campaign, Ready Scotland, is a good reminder of the simple actions we can all take to prepare for adverse conditions.  Further information is available at www.readyscotland.org

FORTH ROAD BRIDGE CLOSED

The Forth Road Bridge is likely to remain closed until after the rush hour after an articulated lorry was blown over at 2am this morning