Storm Floris aftermath leaves thousands without power for second night
Thousands of Scots have been left without electricity for a second night running after Storm Floris swept in on Monday.
Tens of thousands of people were left without power after high winds earlier in the week, which reached speeds of up to 90mph.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) confirmed that by 8.30am on Wednesday, around 68,000 customers had seen their supply restored. But a further 3,900 properties were still without power.
The company said that hundreds of engineers have been out on the network since first light on Wednesday morning working to reconnect homes.
The firm revealed that 95 per cent of those hit by outages during the storm have now been reconnected.
Andy Smith, SSEN's director of customer operations for the north of Scotland, said late on Tuesday: 'Storm Floris has been unusually powerful, especially for a storm at this time of year.
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
'It's brought down many trees that have endured several previous storms, and it's caused some network damage.'
He added: 'I'd like to thank our customers for their understanding and patience while we go about this massive task; we're doing our best to give people realistic, informed estimates of when we'll get their power back on.
'I'm also grateful to the teams from our contract partners and other network operators for supporting our effort.'
An amber weather warning was in place for an area stretching from the central belt to northern Scotland for much of the day on Monday while the rest of the country was covered by a yellow weather warning.
The storm also caused significant disruption to Scotland's rail network.
Network Rail said teams have been working 'tirelessly' to repair damage to infrastructure such as overhead lines and to clear fallen trees and debris from the tracks.
The storm also led to delays in exam results being delivered to pupils in some island communities on SQA results day on Tuesday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Daily Record
Tropical Storm Dexter heading for Scotland as unsettled conditions expected
Temperatures here will be closer to the seasonal average and Scots could face unsettled conditions with wind and rain as the storms moves in to the UK on Saturday. The majority of Scotland is expected to miss out on a heatwave set to hit the rest of the UK as Storm Dexter moves in. The Mirror reports that the Met Office has warned that Tropical Storm Dexter will arrive on Saturday night after travelling from the east of the USA across the Atlantic and will bring 'unseasonably hot' weather with it. Temperatures in eastern Scotland could peak around 23-24C, but with more cloud and a stronger breeze across northwestern Scotland, temperatures here will be closer to the seasonal average and could face unsettled conditions with wind and rain. However, England and Wales should expect a scorcher of a week. According to the Met Office, the remnants of Tropical Storm Dexter will draw warm air from the southwest across the UK. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has even issued a yellow heat health warning for a large part of the country starting Monday. as the hot weather front approaches. Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Steven Keates, said: 'We're confident that temperatures will increase markedly by the start of next week, reaching the low 30s Celsius in parts of England on Monday and perhaps the mid 30s in a few places on Tuesday. 'However, the length of this warm spell is still uncertain, and it is possible that high temperatures could persist further into next week, particularly in the south. 'Ex-Dexter sets the wheels in motion for an uptick in temperatures, but the weather patterns then maintaining any hot weather are rather more uncertain'. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. In general, the weather in Scotland will be widely unsettled for the rest of the week. A huge system of heavier showers is to drench much of the country on Thursday, with the west coast to bear the brunt of the rain. The good news is that by Thursday evening, most of these showers will have cleared up. But Friday and Saturday are to bring more scattered showers with some dry areas.
Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Exact date sunshine set to return to Scotland with 23C temperatures IN DAYS
It will be warm, however, with highs of 23C by the middle of the week HOT STUFF Exact date sunshine set to return to Scotland with 23C temperatures IN DAYS Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SCOTS will become distant spectators next week as much of Britain basks in the fourth heatwave of the summer – with temperatures up to 35C. While the south of the UK enjoys high pressure and hot air seeping up from Europe, parts of Scotland will fall under a low-pressure system, bringing showers in from the Atlantic. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 People jump from a pier into the water of Loch Lomond Credit: PA On Wednesday and Thursday, when most pupils return to school after the summer break, most of the country will suffer some heavy downpours of heavy rain. It will be warm, however, with highs of 23C by the middle of the week. Speaking about the south of the UK, Met Office forecaster Honor Criswick said:'We pick up a south easterly wind, picking up that warm air across Europe where there have been heatwave conditions. 'There are a few things going on, which is why temperatures are starting to increase. 'For it technically to be a heatwave, we need to see those high temperatures over three consecutive days. 'It could be a heatwave or we could just see an increase in the heat. 'But it is certainly going to be feeling warm and, for many of us, plenty of sunshine.' Meanwhile, drought conditions continue in the eastern half of Scotland despite summer downpours. Torrential showers fell in the affected areas in July and during Storm Floris last Monday. But environment watchdogs SEPA say cloudbursts were either too quick to soak into the ground or fell in places where it wasn't needed. In its latest water scarcity report, the government's environment agency said that while July rainfall was average to below average overall, it fell in short, intense bursts, particularly in the east. At Baluniefield in Dundee, over half of the month's rainfall was recorded in a single day. Sepa added that while this rainfall caused temporary increases in river levels, it did not 'soak into the ground' and therefore failed to significantly replenish groundwater supplies. At several monitoring sites in Fife, groundwater levels were the lowest ever recorded for July. 2 July summer temperatures were over 28C at Troon Beach Credit: Alamy This means that the Deveron, Ythan, Don (Aberdeenshire), Esk, Firth of Tay and the Tyne (Lothian) river catchments remain at 'moderate' scarcity for water. Claire Tunaley, SEPA Senior Hydrologist – Water Resources Unit, said:'Although August began with wet and windy weather, the reality is that the rainfall hasn't reached the parts of the country that need it most. "The longer-term picture, particularly in the east, remains one of sustained pressure on our water environment. 'July's rain came too quickly to do much good. "What we need is steady, sustained rainfall to allow the environment to recover, not short bursts that run straight off dry ground. 'We continue to work with water users, including farmers and businesses, to manage help them resources efficiently.'
Daily Record
6 hours ago
- Daily Record
Family swept out to sea at Scots beach rescued by quick-thinking couple
Sean Bowman swam out to save the 12-year-old and her parents, while his partner Emma Picken alerted emergency services. A couple jumped into action to help rescue a family who were swept out to sea at a Scots beach. Sean Bowman, 46, was at Tyninghame Beach in East Lothian with his partner and their three children on May 24, when he spotted a 12-year-old girl in difficulty in the water around 60 metres from the shore. Her mum and dad had swam out to attempt to save her, but were caught in a dangerous rip current. Sean, who lives in Dunbar, said: "The girl started screaming really loudly and I could see she was now quite far out, about 60 metres. The mum and dad ran down and said they weren't good swimmers. "That's when I swam to get the girl. I could feel the pull of the rip but back home in South Africa we are taught to swim left or right, not straight out, so I swam in a diagonal to reach her. The mum swam as well but she got caught.'" Sean jumped in while his partner Emma Picken, 38, called emergency services and was alerted to a nearby surfer, who helped Sean get the family to safety. Emma said: "Sean thought he could help the girl more so pulled her back out of the water and shouted for me to call the coastguard. At that point the dad went in to try and get the mum. They were now drifting out in the rip tide." Sean added: "I grabbed the girl by the arms and put her up on my shoulders and we just swam back and I dropped her off. I went back in but by that stage they were right by the back breakers about 150 metres out." Coastguard responders called for an RNLI lifeboat from Dunbar, and alerted the police and ambulance service. Sean tried to take a body board to help the couple stay afloat. He said: "I swam out as far as I could and shouted to them to try and catch the board but the tide caught it and sent it into the rocks. "I stayed in the water but not too deep to make sure they were ok. They were now so far out it was hard to see them. "We could just see their heads bobbing up and down. I have never seen waves that big since coming to Dunbar." When the surfer joined in the rescue efforts, he assisted him in locating the family. He added: "He couldn't see them at first. I had to point him in the right direction but he managed to reach them. "The woman did well to keep the man afloat, as I think he was struggling, and she and the surfer managed to get him on the board. They got to shore as the coastguard and lifeboat arrived, then the helicopter and the ambulance came." The family were assisted by the volunteer lifeboat crew before being passed into the care of emergency responders. The man was airlifted to hospital, and the woman and girl were treated by paramedics, with all three making a full recovery. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. The couple said people need to be more aware of the risks involved with swimming on beaches without lifeguards. Emma said: "There is a sign at the car park but it is easy to miss. I feel there needs to be more at the beach. At least this was at the weekend when there were people there. "If that had been a week day when it is quieter there might not have been anybody there to save them. I couldn't even hear the girl screaming because it was so windy but Sean did." Sean added: "I don't think people should swim there, if there's a constant rip tide. If you're not a strong swimmer it will just pull you." Ray Cunningham, RNLI Water Safety Education Manager, said: "Rip Currents are an incredibly dangerous occurrence that can catch out even the most experienced water user and they can pop up all across the UK. "You can sometimes spot a rip by seeing where water may be a little calmer where waves are or by spotting the water rushing out in a narrow channel. We would recommend checking out a lifeguarded beach if you can and swim between the flags when you enter the water as this is the safest place to swim. "If you find yourself caught in a rip the first thing to remember is don't panic, remember the RNLI's FLOAT message to keep your head above water. If on a lifeguarded beach you can raise your arms and try to call for help. "Once you have caught your breath, you can swim parallel to the shore (sideways) which should allow you to escape the outward pull of the rip current as they are generally quite narrow. Once you are out of the rip you can then make your way back to shore. "If you see someone caught in a rip, we don't recommend going in to rescue them, you are putting yourself at risk. Instead dial 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard and tell them where you are, how many people are in trouble and the situation."
