First storm of autumn roaring in at 70mph

SCOTLAND is set to be battered by the first storm of the autumn tomorrow as wild weather from the Caribbean brings winds gusting to 70mph.

Twin tropical storms – Karl and Lisa – failed to make landfall in Florida and Bermuda before veering north-west towards Britain earlier this week.

It has created what forecasters call ‘large thermal contrasts’ between here and the Caribbean, which fuel deep depressions arriving close to our shores.

The Met Office said Karl was due to sweep in during the early hours, bringing a spell of windy conditions today but greatest concern centres on the arrival of former tropical storm Lisa tomorrow. Winds of up to 70mph are expected to strike the North-West from early morning, causing travel disruption, possible property damage and downing tree branches.

However, the winds will have sufficient power to roar into the Central Belt at up to 60mph, where similar disruption is also possible. The early arrival of high seas brought on by storms caused ferry operator CalMac to cancel several West Coast routes yesterday, with wind speeds already approaching 50mph. ScotRail was using its website to warn passengers to check before travelling, due to the high winds forecast.

The Met Office said: ‘Gales or severe gales are expected to develop across much of Scotland on Thursday. The strongest winds are likely across North-Western areas, where gusts of 70mph are possible. However, much of Scotland could see gusts of 55-60 mph.’

As well as travel disruption and bridge restrictions, it also warned of large waves.

The front which avoided the Caribbean and Florida has been racing across the Atlantic since Monday, fuelled by a stronger-thannormal jet stream. It will also raise temperatures across the country as the ‘vigorous area of low pressure’ passes through.

Despite the intensity of the weather, the Met Office does not intend to give this storm a name. The first one of this year’s storm season will be called Angus.