Callum crashes in
Downpours and gusts of up to 68mph unleash another wave of travel chaos as the third big storm of autumn pounds country
SCOTS were forced to batten down the hatches yesterday as the third major storm of the autumn crashed into the country.
Gusts of up to 68mph battered some areas, bringing chaos to roads, railways and airports.
Rain caused fresh landslides on the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll, which was closed by mudslides earlier in the week.
Winds from Storm Callum were so strong that the Forth Road Bridge and Kincardine Bridge were closed.
In Edinburgh, a lorry shed its load at Hermiston Gait, hitting two vehicles and causing long rush-hour tailbacks on the M8 before police were able to clear four lanes of debris.
Today, constant downpours expected in the south of Scotland have sparked yellow ‘be aware’ Met Office alerts, with a flood warning for Dumfries and Galloway.
In Ireland, 30,000 homes were left without power yesterday, with communities in Cork, Kerry and Donegal all badly hit.
In Scotland, the Met Office recorded a gust of 68mph at Dundrennan, in Kirkcudbrightshire, at 6am.
Every route on ferry operator CalMac’s West Coast services suffered cancellations or delays.
Families were also badly affected as yesterday signalled the start of the schools’ mid-term break when many were trying to get away.
Glasgow Airport had ten flights cancelled, partly due to severe weather in other parts of the UK.
Affected destinations included Campbeltown, Belfast, Southend, Exeter and Amsterdam. In Edinburgh, the Royal Botanic Garden closed its doors to the public over safety fears.
Grahame Madge of the Met Office said it was ‘slightly unusual’ for the country to have suffered three named storms before the middle of October.
He added: ‘It has certainly been a vigorous start to the storm season. It does seem a bit early to have had so many weather events at this time of year.
‘Storm Callum has been rather powerful and we’re quite concerned heavy rain on Saturday could provide a number of challenges and severe impacts in southern Scotland.’
Yesterday, rail services remained cancelled on the East Coast line north of Dundee due to a derailment on Thursday at Stonehaven, Kincardineshire. However, the roads saw the worst of the travel disruption. All lanes of the M80 north-bound were closed at Denny, in Stirlingshire. Three lanes of the M8 east-bound were shut between Junctions 22 and 23 in Glasgow, causing long delays on the M77.
The Rest and Be Thankful route has been closed for much of the week due to a landslide. As the area was battered by wind and heavy rain yesterday, more material began sliding down the hillside.
As a result, the road remains shut, as does the Old Military Road below it, which often acts as a diversionary route. Earlier this week, engineers used hydraulic gear to drill into rocks at risk of falling and break them into smaller pieces. The largest boulder, which was more than 1,000ft above the roadside, was estimated to weigh about 75 tons.
A 60-mile diversion has been in place since Tuesday after 2,500 tons of mud and rock came down. Another 300 tons of debris were dislodged yesterday.
Many roads across Dumfries and Galloway were under water after up to three inches fell in a few hours on upland roads yesterday.
Police Scotland said: ‘Surface water flooding is now affecting many roads across the region. This is likely to continue over the weekend as further rain is expected.’
Due to the severe weather, drivers were urged to use caution when crossing the Erskine, Skye and Dornoch Bridges. The Mail told last month how the first major autumn storm to hit the mainland was set to cost Scotland £250million.
Storm Ali left a trail of destruction in its wake as gusts of up to 102mph damaged cars and buildings, and left tens of thousands of homes without power.
It even caused a cruise ship to break its mooring and drift into the Firth of Clyde.
Swiss tourist Elvira Ferrari, 56, was killed when the caravan she was in was blown off a cliff at a campsite in Galway, in Ireland, while a man in his 20s died after being hit by a tree in County Armagh.
A pupil at Trinity Primary in Edinburgh suffered a fractured neck and two broken arms after being struck by a falling branch in the playground.
‘Vigorous start to the storm season’