The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
Severe weather due as travel problems mount
Heavy rain is expected to cause travel problems across large parts of northern Scotland in the days to come.
Trains and ferries were cancelled yesterday as heavy rain battered the north, with an array of flood warnings in place.
Sepa issued a warning for much of the Western isles as well as Strathglass, Strath Carron and Strath Oykel.
Nairn, Findhorn and parts of Speyside were also on flood alert, with Sepa warning urban areas and the roads were at risk.
The Met Office issued a yellow rain warning for the region and forecasters last night warned they expect the wet weather to continue.
Marco Petagna, senior meteorologist with the Met Office, said: “Rain will be particularly heavy in the eastern parts of the Highlands and into the Mo ray coast and Inverness.
“It will only really be slowly that the wind and rain ease through Thursday, so for much of the morning there is still potential for outbreaks of rain to affect central and eastern parts – and into Aberdeen as well.
“The trend is through the day is for things to improve a bit – winds will generally ease down and the rain will become lighter and a bit more patchy with continued drizzle into the afternoon.
“Sunshine will be limited and will likely become confined to the northern isles.
“Most of the mainland looks like being quite cloudy, with the rain and wind gradually easing down.
“Temperatures will always be struggling and will be no better than 10 or 11 degrees.”
Further unsettled weather will come in overnight and more heavy rain is expected to hit the east of the country on Friday.
Wet and windy weather will then return to the west on Saturday, with potential for seeing some severe gale force winds in exposed spots.
Early-morning train passengers were yesterday put on buses after the line flooded between Wick and Inverness, at Ardgay.
Replacement buses ran between the two stations for much of the day.
Meanwhile, the A83 Rest and Be Thankful road was also shut–meaning motorists continued to use a 60-mile detour.
The Old Military Road was opened as a diversion and remained in use overnight under a convoy. A full safety inspection of the A83 will be carried out today.
The closures come after concerns about an overflowing channel on the slope over the weekend.
Repairs were carried out but inspections are ongoing across the hillside.
Bear Scotland’s Eddie Ross said: “Our geotechnical team are closely monitoring conditions at the Rest and are in the process of carrying out assessments of the slopes and steep channels above the A83, and wider hillside, following the most recent period of heavy rain.
“We’ ll keep the Old
Military Road under close review overnight and carry out a further assessment of the A83 in the morning.”
Highland Council last night sent teams to address flooding in Sutherland.
Flooding around Ardgay caused a local landslip on the Stuie Road, with large volumes of water spilling onto the A836 Tarlogie to John O’Groats road at Ardchronie Quarry and in the area near the cemetery at Kincardine Hill.
The C1140 Lower Gledfield to Baldownie Bridge Road was closed at Gledfield House overnight as emergency services attended and sandbags were in place.
The closure will be reviewed today.
Elsewhere, CalMac cancelled all sailings between UllapoolStornoway and Mallaig-Lochboisdale.