Travel disruption likely in some areas
The Met Office has issued an Amber, Be Prepared warning for high winds across parts of Scotland later today and through until the end of the morning peak period on Tuesday, as Storm Henry is set to arrive.
The worst of the conditions are expected in the Highlands, Strathclyde and along Western Coastal areas with wind speeds of up to 90mph forecast in some exposed areas.
This could lead to restrictions or closures of some of the key bridges on the trunk road network and disruption across other parts of the transport network, including ferries.
Details of the weather alerts are available at: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/warnings.
The winds are expected to worsen on Monday afternoon (1500) through the peak period on Tuesday morning (0900).
Transport Scotland is working with partner organisations, including Police Scotland and the transport operators, to try to mitigate the effects of the conditions. Our Multi-Agency Response Team (MART) has been active throughout the weekend at the National Traffic Control Centre and will continue operations into the new week.
The Trunk Road Operating Companies winter fleets have been out across the country, with teams treating and patrolling the roads and reacting to any incidents, but as conditions are expected to be changeable, motorists should follow Police advice.
Passengers should also check with their travel operator’s website before they leave and be mindful of the conditions. Transport Minister Derek Mackay said: “A wide range of agencies and organisations have their response plans in place to help mitigate the effects of this latest set of conditions but there is every likelihood of some disruption to the transport network in the coming few days.
“The wintry weather is forecast to deteriorate tomorrow with the arrival of Storm Henry which carries an Amber Alert for high winds from Monday afternoon continuing through the peak on Tuesday morning. Our Multi-Agency Response Team, based at the National Traffic Scotland Control Centre which has been in operation throughout the weekend will remain in place to monitor events and respond as required. Our fleet of patrol vehicles and gritters are treating roads where needed around the clock to help keep roads open to traffic, but quickly changing conditions means journeys could be disrupted.
“As always we would ask the public to play their part by listening to the latest weather forecasts and plan their journeys accordingly. With wet and windy conditions continuing and wind speeds expected to be as high as 90mph in some more exposed places, people should continue to check radio reports, visit the Traffic Scotland website or twitter feed, check with their transport operator, and take the latest police advice before setting off.”
Members of the public are being advised to prepare for heavy rain and strong winds as Storm Frank sweeps across the country today. Continue reading Scotland braced for Storm Frank
Sean Batty launches Ready for Winter campaign
Two-thirds of Scottish residents admit they could be more prepared for winter weather – and many of them are not prepared at all.
With last week seeing the first amber warning of this winter with storm Abigail and yellow warnings across Scotland for snow today and Saturday, Scottish households are being urged to make sure they are prepared for severe weather as new research reveals two thirds (66 per cent) have admitted they could do more to be ready or are not at all prepared.
The research was revealed as the Scottish Government’s Ready for Winter campaign launched last week, which encourages people and communities to take simple steps in readiness for tough weather conditions. For individuals this means staying informed on imminent weather conditions, knowing what to do to get ready, such as having a working torch or knowing how to turn off your utilities, and watching out for those who are more vulnerable to severe weather.
Despite more than a third of people (33 per cent) saying they had been hit financially through disrupted travel, time off work or home repairs – many don’t have the essential supplies to help them in an emergency and 46 per cent of respondents said they were not worried about the prospect of severe weather this winter.
Keith Brown, Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities, said: “With the mild winters we’ve experienced in recent years, it does appear that some people are becoming increasingly relaxed about being prepared for severe weather.
“However, we all know that Scottish winters can quickly bring cold snaps, storms, flooding and high winds all of which can affect people’s homes, those who are travelling, and those who are vulnerable, so there’s no room for complacency.
“Being prepared for winter can make all the difference when severe weather strikes and this can be as simple as having a shovel and grit ready to keep any paths clear and keeping a scraper and de-icer in your car. It is important to remind people of the actions we can all take to get ready in the home, before a journey, at our place of work and in our communities.”
Today STV weather forecaster Sean Batty backed the drive in a bid to warn that weather conditions in Scotland can be volatile and encourage more people to prepare.
Sean said: “If there is one thing I’ve learned from delivering daily weather reports is the speed in which weather can change in Scotland.
“Our weather is very volatile, going from extremely mild and stormy to extremely cold and icy. The outlook for the next three months indicates that the risk of spells of windy or even stormy weather is expected to be greater than usual for the time of year but we could still see periods of ice and snow.
“It’s important to take time to prepare for every weather eventuality so we’re ready and able to cope with whatever winter brings.”
Top 5 tips for preparing for winter are:
For more information on how to prepare for winter visit www.readyscotland.org
Botanic Lights cancelled tonight -Thursday 12 November
Unfortunately, Botanic Lights is cancelled tonight for safety reasons due to severe weather conditions forecast for this evening.
For further info visit bge.org.uk/botaniclights
Snow and ice made driving conditions particularly treacherous this morning, as this driver found.
The incident happened in Saxe Coburg Street at around 06:45am. Fortunately no-one was hurt in the accident, but police said both the car and the property were damaged.
‘Weather bomb’ expected to cause widespread disruption
Severe gales and exceptionally high waves will hit Scotland today , with western coastal areas particularly affected. The Met Office says western and northern Scotland should be prepared for “dangerous conditions” throughout the day.
Transport services have been cancelled as a rapidly-developing storm – known as a ‘weather bomb’ – threatens wind gusts of up to 80mph. Ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne yesterday warned of severe disruption to its services.
Edinburgh has already experienced thunder and lightning today following a night of heavy rain and high winds. Gusts of over 70mph have been reported on the Forth Road Bridge this morning and the bridge is closed to high-sided vehicles.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has more than 25 flood warnings and alerts in place across the country.
Scottish and Southern Energy is on ‘yellow alert‘ which means it anticipates power cuts
Very strong winds are expected to affect northern and central parts of the UK until early on Thursday. A second storm front is predicted to track across the country overnight on Thursday, with a yellow warning for snow in for parts of central and southern Scotland in place for Friday morning.
Police Scotland’s Inspector Bryan McGeogh said this morning: “I would advise people to travel with caution across the country. Very high winds are expected which could impact on the road network, rail travel, ferries and bridges and driving in these conditions could be particularly hazardous.”
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said the “exceptionally strong winds and tidal surge” were expected to produce unusually high tides and large waves along the west coast of the country.
The First Minister chaired a meeting of the Scottish Government’s resilience committee yesterday and received an update on preparations for the severe weather forecast over the next 24 hours.
An Amber (Be Prepared) warning has been issued for severe gales with gusts around 80 mph expected mainly over the Outer Hebrides and Northern Isles tomorrow. This could lead to disruption to travel, power and some dangerous waves over the causeways. Disruption could also be experienced over the rest of the country, which is covered by a yellow warning for high winds, with ferries, rail services and bridges likely to be affected.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Deputy First Minister John Swinney took part in a meeting of the Scottish Government’s resilience committee earlier this evening, and were joined by Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities Keith Brown and Transport Minister Derek Mackay, as well as representatives from Transport Scotland, local resilience partnerships, SEPA, Met Office and other key organisations who will provide an update on their preparations.
Transport Scotland is activating the Multi-Agency Response Team (MART) to monitor the conditions. The MART, which involves partner organisations such as Police Scotland and the Met Office, is being co-ordinated at the Traffic Scotland Control Centre in South Queensferry with access to the best technology available to monitor the situation and react accordingly.
More widely, the Scottish Government will closely monitor the effects of the severe weather. The resilience (SGoRR) committee has been in touch with responder organisations in those areas that are expected to be affected to get updates on the multi-agency efforts being made to deal with potential impacts and will continue to stay in regular contact to discuss prevention and response activity.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “Having visited Transport Scotland’s National Control Centre earlier today (Tuesday) and attended SGoRR this evening to receive an update on preparations I am confident we are well placed to cope. However, weather events can cause significant disruption and it’s important that the public take heed of the latest travel and safety advice this week.
“Our response to major transport incidents is now better co-ordinated and under one roof with experts working alongside each other. We use state of the art monitoring to prepare for all conditions. Weather stations throughout the trunk road network relay information to our operating companies, on temperature, wind speeds and rainfall.
“Before heading out, I would urge the public to consider the conditions. They should listen to radio reports, visit the Traffic Scotland website or twitter feed and take note of the latest police advice.
“The Scottish Government’s annual campaign, Ready for Winter, is a good reminder of the simple actions we can all take in an hour to prepare for adverse conditions. Information is available at Readyscotland.org.”
Steve Willington, Chief Meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “Very strong winds are likely to affect northern and central parts of the UK from early Wednesday and last through until early Thursday as a very deep low pressure system moves slowly eastwards between Scotland and Iceland. A period of severe gales is likely over northern and central Britain, as well as the potential for storm force winds over north western coastal areas of Scotland.”
David Dickson, Network Rail route managing director for Scotland, said: “Safety has to be our first consideration during severe weather and we are withdrawing a limited number of services until the worst of the storms have passed. We will be monitoring conditions on the ground closely throughout the night and into the morning and will have teams in place across the country to react quickly to any damage caused by the weather.
“We are working closely with the train operators and other industry partners to do everything we can to reduce disruption, while also operating a safe network for passengers.”
Richard Brown, Head of Hydrology for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), said: “From today, onwards, the risk of coastal flooding is expected to impact on north western coastlines, especially Caithness, Sutherland, the Western Isles and Argyll and Bute, however impacts are likely to also affect the Orkney and Shetland Isles and the entire west coast – including Firth of Clyde, Clyde estuary and Dumfries and Galloway. The potential for strong to gale force winds, very large waves and tidal surges could result in localised flooding to roads, coastal pathways, causeways and individual properties from spray and wave overtopping.
“The Scottish Flood Forecasting Service predicts that flooding is expected to continue throughout the week, with Wednesday forecast to experience the largest waves and greatest impacts due to the strength of tidal surges. There is a risk of significant flood impacts from wave overtopping and spray during this time, before large waves begin to lessen on Thursday.
“We would strongly encourage people to remain vigilant and be mindful of the conditions in their locality and when travelling, especially along more exposed coastal areas. Members of the public can access the latest flood updates for their area via our website, and sign up to the Floodline direct warning service by calling 0345 988 1188.”
For flood warning updates go to: http://floodline.sepa.org.uk/floodupdates/
‘No complacency’ message after two mild winters
Two consecutive relatively mild winters appear to have made people in Scotland less worried about severe weather incidents, according to new research.
The research, commissioned by the Scottish Government and the British Red Cross, has found that 40 per cent of Scots surveyed said that they were concerned about emergencies caused by treacherous weather conditions, down from almost half of those questioned a year ago.
The survey also found:
• almost nine out of ten car owners believe they are prepared for an emergency, largely because three-quarters carry an ice-scraper and de-icer.
• seven per cent had experienced an extreme weather emergency in the past year, with higher levels in rural areas. Of these, two-fifths claimed they got together with neighbours to help them cope.
Launching this year’s ‘Ready for Winter?’ campaign yesterday, Scottish Government Transport Minister Keith Brown said: “If there is anything recent winters have shown us it is that Scottish weather is unpredictable.
“In the last five years, most parts of Scotland have been affected by severe weather ranging from snow and freezing temperatures to high winds and flooding, and we also saw the terrible impact of flooding in south-west England last winter. While extreme weather can happen at any time of year, winter remains the time of greatest risk.
“The unpredictability of weather patterns means we cannot simply hope that we will miss the worst of it. While we can’t stop the weather causing disruption, we can be well prepared to cope with it.
“Our annual winter preparedness campaign reminds us of this and the simple actions we can all take to get ready: in the home, before a journey, at our place of work and in our communities. This will serve us well not just throughout the winter months, but all year round and in a range of emergency situations.
“I’m delighted the campaign is again being run in partnership with the British Red Cross and will be supported by a variety of other partners across the public, private and voluntary sectors in Scotland.”
David Miller, Director of the British Red Cross in Scotland, said: “Making sure you are prepared now for winter can make a huge difference when extreme weather hits.
“At the Red Cross we know that severe weather, including snow and floods, can have serious consequences. However, with a few simple steps you can make yourself and others ready for the disruption it can bring.
“You can prepare an emergency kit for your home and car, jot down your emergency phone numbers and check on any neighbours, family or friends to see if they need any help. You can also make sure you know what the plan at your workplace is.
“Each year the Red Cross helps people across Scotland cope with the effects of severe weather and this winter, as always, we’ll be prepared and ready.”
COSLA President Councillor, David O’Neill added: “COSLA is delighted to once again be working in partnership with the Scottish Government and British Red Cross to launch the ‘Ready for Winter?’ campaign. COSLA would urge people to be aware of the simple measures they can take to make sure they are prepared should severe weather affect Scotland.
“COSLA is involved in reaching out to local councils throughout Scotland to ensure they have appropriate contingency plans in place to minimise the impact on public services should Scotland experience any form of severe weather this winter.”
Organisers of this weekend’s Fun Days and Galas will be keeping an anxious eye on the weather forecast. Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre’s Fun Day takes place tomorrow and West Pilton and Muirhouse Gala is on Sunday.
Fingers crossed – it might just be okay!
Tomorrow’s forecast: A chilly start then a mainly dry day with sunny spells. Cloud will bubble up in the afternoon with isolated showers developing across Lothian and Borders.
And Sunday? A chilly start but dry with sunny spells.
Here’s hoping …
‘And behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth …’ – Genesis 6:17
‘Ach, a wee drap rain never hurt anyane … ‘ – Grandpaw Broon, Sunday Post 1953
Thunder. lightning, torrential rain – it was exciting while it lasted, but the streets are drying out as we speak and the sun is shining; Isn’t our weather just remarkable?
