Weather warnings issued as storm heads renfrewshire’s way
Storm Arwen will hit Scotland this week as high winds and gales are set to batter the country.
The Met Office named the first storm of the winter season as it alerted an amber warning for wind across east and central parts of the country, which will be in place from 3pm today until 9am tomorrow.
A yellow warning for wind is in place for the whole of Scotland from 9am today and all day tomorrow.
And a yellow snow warning has also been issued for the central Highlands and parts of northern Scotland, Tayside and Fife this afternoon and evening.
Up to eight centimetres of snow is forecast to fall alongside high winds, creating blizzard conditions which could bring travel disruption.
The Met Office has issued three weather warning over the next two days with the amber alert - meaning lives are in danger expected to cause flying debris, power cuts and road closures.
The conditions are likely to impact travel, particularly during peak times on Friday evening, with gusts expected to reach 75mph in some parts.
There is also potential for restrictions on bridges, which could impact the large number of high-sided vehicles expected to be on the trunk road network for Black Friday.
Extreme weather could also cause some rural communities to become cut off and mobile phone coverage could be knocked out.
The Multi Agency Response
Team is being stood up for the duration of the warning periods to closely monitor conditions.
Traffic Scotland will be providing updates on social media, website and radio broadcasts throughout the warning period.
Minister for Transport Graeme Dey said:“The first storm of the winter period, Storm Arwen, is set to impact Scotland tomorrow and Saturday.
“The whole country is going to see blustery conditions, but the Met Office is telling us that eastern parts of Scotland in particular are going to see some difficult weather.
“The strongest winds are expected to reach 75mph in some places, and will likely bring some heavy rainfall and snow over higher ground.
“There is the potential for disruption on the roads, especially on bridges, and people should check the latest information before they set off, drive to the conditions and follow Police Scotland advice.
“The Traffic Scotland service gives details of‘wind based’ closures for the bridges on trunk road network, allowing people to plan ahead accordingly.
“Motorists should check Traffic Scotland before they set off to make sure that their route is available.
“The Traffic Scotland mobile website - my.trafficscotland.org - lets people get the latest information on the move and Traffic Scotland Twitter page is updated regularly.
“The conditions are also likely to lead to disruption on other modes of transport, so we are urging people to take the weather into account if they are planning to travel on trains, ferries and flights.”