The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Doris brings wind and snow
Weather: Drivers advised to change plans as amber warning issued
Up to 15cm of snow could fall across parts of Scotland and north-east England today in treacherous, blizzard-like conditions brought by Storm Doris.
Weather warnings have been upgraded to amber across Scotland’s central belt, the Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, Tayside and Fife.
“We have got a fairly active area of low pressure coming in from the Atlantic,” said Met Office forecaster Emma Sharples. “It is strengthening as it moves eastwards to the UK.”
Swathes of the north of Scotland will get up to 15cm of snow at low levels and about 30cm above 1,000ft, leading to travel disruption.
The Met Office said: “We have an amber warning for snow, suggesting there’ll be heavy accumulations quite widely in the Highlands, the central belt and Strathclyde. Expect a foot of snow on hills above 1,000ft.”
Drivers are being urged to consider changing their travel plans and keep a close eye on the local forecast.
Storm Doris is likely to cause travel disruption, damage buildings and send debris flying when it hits today, the Met Office has warned.
Particularly at risk are high-sided vehicles, caravans and motorbikes. Drivers are “strongly advised” to avoid travelling on some stretches of road in Yorkshire, the Midlands, and the east and northwest of England.
The Met Office’s amber weather warning alerts people that “while the strongest winds look to be only short-lived, damage to structures, interruptions to power supplies and widespread disruption to travel networks are likely, with a danger of injury from flying debris”.
The Scottish Government is co-ordinating a transport plan to deal with extreme conditions and Transport Minister Humza Yousaf urged motorists to be “mindful that disruption is likely”.
Storm Doris is expected to move on quickly, with the worst of the weather gone by tonight.
While further Atlantic gusts will bring more rain and wind through the weekend and into next week, they are not expected to reach the heights of Doris.