Storm Floris: Wind gusts of 122mph recorded as storm causes widespread damage, disruption across Scotland

Major road and rail routes were closed as Storm Floris hit swathes of the country, with one utilities firm describing the operation to deal with the damage as similar to those launched during the “depths of winter.”

With a Met Office yellow warning remaining in place for Orkney and Shetland until 8am Tuesday and a significant recovery operation ongoing, the disruption is likely to continue, with ScotRail warning that the impact of the storm could still hinder services as repair work continues.

The unseasonably severe storm hit coastal communities in the north west of the country hardest, with wind speeds of 80mph recorded in South Uist in the Outer Hebrides and 79mph in Kinloss in Moray. Gusts reached 122mph at the Cairngorms summit and 106mph at Aonach Mor in the Highlands.

People were warned not to travel as the winds whipped up into the early afternoon. Many who did amid an amber warning encountered significant delays and disruption, with fallen trees impacting travel on major road thoroughfares including the A9, M77 and A82.

Toppled trailers and campervans

In Glasgow, the Kingston Bridge was blocked for a half hour after a trailer was blown over, while Police Scotland responded to several reports of campervans being blown over on the A87 on Skye. Most major road bridges were closed to high-sided vehicles, with the Forth Road Bridge shut to motorbikes and pedestrians.

On the rail network, the gusts caused trees to fall on rail lines and overhead wires, with controlled shutdowns of routes north of Perth and speed restrictions of 50mph put in place across the central belt, leading to fewer services than scheduled and widespread cancellations to ScotRail services. Train operator LNER told its passengers not to travel north of Newcastle while Avanti West Coast advised passengers not to travel north of Preston.

David Ross, ScotRail’s communications director, said the damage meant that the disruption could continue while Network Rail inspects and repairs faults. “Anybody looking to travel with us on Tuesday, be prepared as there may be some disruption as the repair work carries on,” he said.

Mr Ross said the firm was “well prepared” for the storm and had a recovery plan in place, but asked for people to remain patient while that work continued.

Ross Moran, Network Rail Scotland’s route director, described the storm as one which posed “unprecedented challenges” for the firm. He said winds of up to 75mph hit the network nationwide, with the north of Scotland hit particularly hard.

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A raft of Loganair cancellations impacted flights to and from Barra, Benbecula, Campbeltown, Dundee, Stornoway and Tiree, while the conditions at sea led to significant disruption for ferry passengers.

Scheduled Caledonian MacBrayne crossings between Gourock and Dunoon, Barra and Eriskay, Ardrossan and Arran, and Skye and Armadale were among those cancelled, with delays on several other routes. Further north, the weather led Northlink to scrap scheduled sailings between Stromness and Scrabster, Orkney Ferries also cancelled several inter-island crossings.

By late afternoon, more than 22,500 properties were without electricity in the Highlands and north-east of Scotland. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said it had hundreds of extra staff working, and had restored power to around 5,500 properties that were previously cut off, but it warned it may not be able to reconnect everyone by the end of the day.

Winter-style operation launched to restore power

Andy Smith, the firm’s director of customer operations Andy Smith described Floris as “the strongest summer storm we've seen in a very long time,” with “significant disruption” to power supplies as a result.

He added: “At the height of summer, we've mounted an operation that's comparable in size to the ones we mobilise when a storm hits during the depths of winter, but the sustained nature of these damaging winds means some affected customers may be without power overnight.”

In Edinburgh, what would ordinarily be a bustling day in the first week of the festival season, the streets were still busy, with some tourists wrestling with umbrellas and skirting past bins and street furniture that had been upended by the gusts. The escalating winds led to scores of performances being pulled, with the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo cancelling its show, while Edinburgh Castle and Edinburgh Zoo closed their doors early.

Tony Lankester, chief executive of the Fridge, said around 100 performances were unable to go ahead as a result of the weather conditions in order to ensure the safety of acts and audiences. “Those are mostly performances that were due to take place in outdoor venues, in tents, in marquees and so on,” he explained.

In Glasgow, meanwhile, a Hollywood cast and crew were forced to suspend filming for the new feature film, Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

The ongoing disruption from the storm will also have an impact on pupils awaiting their exam results, which are due to land through letterboxes on Tuesday.. The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) said there will be delays to the delivery of results to addresses in the Outer Hebrides, Orkney, and Shetland.

Royal Mail said there may be “further localised delays” at short notice due to the ongoing or lasting impact of the storm, and advised pupils eager to find out their results to contact their school or college in the first instance. Alternatively, learners can submit an enquiry through the SQA website.