Storm Floris upgraded to amber warning as 90mph wind gusts to batter Scotland
A severe weather warning for Storm Floris - the UK's first named storm since Storm Éowyn wreaked havoc in late January - has been upgraded to amber amid forecasts of gusts likely to reach up to 90mph in Scotland.
The Met Office raised the warning level from yellow to amber on Sunday morning (August 3) for most of Scotland, from the Central Belt stretching all the way up to the Highlands.
The enhanced warning will be in force for 12 hours from 10am to 10pm on Monday, August 4. The existing yellow warning, covering the rest of Scotland, remains in place from 6am to midnight on Monday.
The national weather agency has issued a "danger to life" warning ahead of this new weather front. The forecaster is urging people to stay indoors where possible as flying debris could cause injury and "danger to life".
A Met Office spokesperson said: "Storm Floris will bring a spell of unusually strong west or winds to much of Scotland during Monday.
"Gusts of 50 to 70 mph are expected for many parts, and are likely to reach 80 to 90 mph on some exposed coasts, hills and bridges.
"Western coastal areas will see the highest gusts between late morning and early afternoon, the strongest winds then transferring to north eastern Scotland by late afternoon/early evening."
The amber warning area covers the whole of Scotland from south of the Central Belt, along with Arran, Kintyre, Islay, and Orkney and Shetland.
The winds could pick up to a whopping 85mph. The alert also covers Northern Ireland and northern areas in both England and Wales.
Scots should expect the strong winds to cause some damage to buildings, potential power cuts that could affect services such as mobile networks, as well as large waves along sea fronts and coastal areas.
Some roads and bridges could also be potentially closed, as well as longer travel times and possible cancellations on train, bus, plane and ferry services.
The national weather agency said that in the yellow warning area, many inland areas were likely to see gusts of 40 to 50 mph, with 60 to 70 mph possible along exposed coasts and high ground.
The Met Office said driving in such conditions could be dangerous and urged motorists slowing down, be aware of high-sided vehicles and caravans on more exposed roads and be cautious when overtaking.
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It also advised drivers to give cyclists, motorcyclists, lorries, and buses more room than usual.
The Met Office said people should stay indoors as much as possible, and not walk or shelter close to buildings and trees.
It also called on people to secure in advance for any loose items outside homes such as bins, garden furniture, trampolines, tents, sheds and fences.
Regions affected by the Met Office amber weather warning
Central, Tayside & Fife
Angus
Clackmannanshire
Dundee
Falkirk
Fife
Perth and Kinross
Stirling
Grampian
Aberdeen
Aberdeenshire
Moray
Highlands & Eilean Siar
Na h-Eileanan Siar
Highland
SW Scotland, Lothian Borders
East Lothian
Edinburgh
Midlothian Council
Scottish Borders
West Lothian
Strathclyde
Argyll and Bute
East Ayrshire
East Dunbartonshire
East Renfrewshire
Glasgow
Inverclyde
North Ayrshire
North Lanarkshire
Renfrewshire
South Lanarkshire
West Dunbartonshire
Regions affected by the Met Office yellow weather warning
Central, Tayside & Fife
Angus
Clackmannanshire
Dundee
Falkirk
Fife
Perth and Kinross
Stirling
Grampian
Aberdeen
Aberdeenshire
Moray
Highlands & Eilean Siar
Na h-Eileanan Siar
Highland
Orkney & Shetland
Orkney Islands
Shetland Islands
SW Scotland, Lothian Borders
Dumfries and Galloway
East Lothian
Edinburgh
Midlothian Council
Scottish Borders
West Lothian
Strathclyde
Argyll and Bute
East Ayrshire
East Dunbartonshire
East Renfrewshire
Glasgow
Inverclyde
North Ayrshire
North Lanarkshire
Renfrewshire
South Ayrshire
South Lanarkshire
West Dunbartonshire
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Power has been restored to more than 60,000 homes after Storm Floris caused 'considerable' damage on Monday. The amber weather warning was issued for much of the country, lasting from 10am until 11pm. A second yellow alert, covering the whole of Scotland, was in place until midnight on Monday. A third yellow weather warning was in force covering Orkney and Shetland until 8am on Tuesday. In Wick, wind speeds of 82mph were recorded, with 81mph in the Fair Isle and 75mph in Tiree. More than 500 of SSEN's engineers and field staff, including teams who have travelled up from SSEN's south of England network region, are being assisted by around 200 people from contract partners and other network operators. A full assessment of the network and the damage caused by Storm Floris has been carried out. The SSEN has confirmed complex repairs will take place at multiple points. Work is still ongoing to reconnect a further 11,400 properties. SSEN's Director of Customer Operations for the north of Scotland, Andy Smith, said: 'Storm Floris has been unusually powerful, especially for a storm at this time of year. It's brought down many trees that have endured several previous storms, and it's caused some network damage. 'Today, we've been able to inspect the network from the air and from the ground, and we now have a complete picture of the extent of the damage. There's a considerable ongoing task to restore all customers' supplies, but we have an 800-strong team whose priority is to make repairs as safely and quickly as they can, keep customers updated, and support those awaiting reconnection. '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.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
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Crews in Scotland ‘working tirelessly' to rectify storm damage to railway lines
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Network Rail said storms can have 'devastating' effects on train lines. Teams are 'working tirelessly' to rectify the damage to railway infrastructure brought by Storm Floris, Network Rail said. Ross Moran, rail director for Network Rail in Scotland, said storms such as Floris can have 'devastating' effects on train lines. On Tuesday, he told the PA news agency: 'The storm has caused really unprecedented challenges and damage to the railway infrastructure. The storm hit Scotland at around 11am on Monday. It was sustained and frequent until about 7.30pm. "It has caused damage to overhead lines, there's been more than 100 trees, as well as sheds and trampolines, blown on to the railway infrastructure." Mr Moran said that storms such as Floris are unusual during the summer and more common in the winter months. 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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. Mr Moran added: "We are so grateful to the patience of passengers while we've worked through this difficult period, but do take our assurances that we're doing everything we can to get the lines back over and again as soon as possible." Engineers are working to restore power to a total of around 22,000 properties in the north and north-east of Scotland. Work is also under way to clear trees from several railway lines which were blocked by the storm. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said it had restored power to 50,000 properties since the onset of the high winds. The company said: "Now the winds have died down and moved into the North Sea, it's become safer for our field teams to get to faults on the network, although strong gusts are still forecast for today and we'll be monitoring the forecast closely. "Our teams worked for as long as the light permitted last night and were deployed again early this morning, with the support of helicopters to assess the network from above. "This has been a particularly damaging storm and we'll be working hard to reconnect customers as safely and quickly as we can – but it will take time." 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