No calm after the storm as rain blights holiday weekend

WET, windy weather will continue to blight the bank holiday weekend after Scotland was hit by the tail end of Tropical Storm Arthur yesterday.

A Met Office severe weather warning will remain into this morning, with conditions only expected to improve later tomorrow.

Yesterday, ferry sailings were cancelled and drivers faced restrictions on bridges as the remnants of Arthur dealt the North-West a ‘glancing blow’, with gusts of up to 75mph in some areas.

However, Bank Holiday Monday promises a return to sunny spells, with temperatures reaching the low 20s Celsius.

Nicky Maxey of the Met Office said: ‘We have become used to warm temperatures and dry weather. That’s why this recent wild spell will come as a surprise to many.

‘We have got a low-pressure system crossing to the North-West of Scotland. This is just a glancing blow but we are still forecasting gusts of 60-65mph plus stronger gusts of 70-75mph for exposed parts of the West Coast, like Barra and South Uist.

‘The North-West Highlands can expect very heavy rainfall to go along with the winds, possibly as much as 100mm (4in) in the space of 36 hours up to Sunday.’

By contrast, the three months of spring have so far delivered only 108.1mm (4.2 inches) across the east.

Tropical Storm Arthur began life thousands of miles away, churning in the warm waters off Georgia in the US. Part of the system broke off towards the UK as it surged into the Atlantic Ocean.

Yesterday, high winds forced the cancellation of all services on 12 of CalMac’s 29 routes on the West Coast, with more sailings expected to be affected today. Speed restrictions were imposed on the A92

Tay Road Bridge and high wind warnings were placed on the bridges at Skye, Dornoch and erskine.

Cyclists and pedestrians were forbidden from using the Forth Road Bridge, which was also closed to double-decker buses.

A Met Office warning for high winds in the North-West expired at 5am this morning but the rest of the day is still expected to be extremely breezy.

Heavy rain in the West will keep Glasgow’s temperature today down to only 11C or 12C (52-54F). Temperatures will be similar in edinburgh, which is expected to see heavy showers.

The weather is expected to improve around lunchtime tomorrow.

By Monday, Scotland’s two largest cities will enjoy fine and sunny conditions, with Glasgow’s high expected to be 18C to 19C (64-66F) while edinburgh could top 19C to 20C (66-68F).