Storm Franklin to hit UK, days after Eunice

Storm Franklin is set to strike the UK just three days after Storm Eunice caused chaos across the country, leaving three people dead, buildings destroyed and 1.4 million homes without power.

It will be the seventh named storm in just three months, following on from Arwen, Barra, Corrie, Dudley, Eunice and Malik.

The Met Office predicts Northern Ireland will bear the brunt of today’s bad weather, with an amber warning for strong winds.

There is also a yellow warning out for strong winds across the south west coast of Scotland and the majority of England.

Though the official weather warning does not go as far north as the Highlands or Moray and Aberdeenshire, the regions may feel some of the force from Storm Franklin.

Rail services are at risk of being delayed, with trains often having to operate at reduced speeds during periods of strong wind.

Ferries to the Western Isles could also be impacted.

Multiple CalMac services were cancelled yesterday as stormy seas prevailed.

NorthLink ferries have warned they could be affected by Storm Franklin, with some sailings leaving earlier or later than planned.

Anyone planning on travelling by train or ferry should check for delays or cancellations.

The west of Scotland is most likely to feel the impact of Storm Franklin – the Met Office predicts gusts of up to 89mph.

Yesterday, there were at least two power cuts in Aberdeenshire, with homes near Pitmedden and Sauchen affected by outages.

Storm Eunice caused many Aberdeenshire and Moray homes to be cut off from power on Friday. It is unknown if yesterday’s power cuts were linked to storm damage.

ScotRail services were disrupted between Glasgow Queen Street and Oban and Mallaig. The line between Arrochar and Ardlui was blocked by a fallen tree.

And two people had to be rescued by Braemar Mountain Rescue Team after being stranded for two nights in a bothy near Loch Muick.

The walkers stayed in the bothy on Thursday but became trapped during Storm Eunice the next day due to the heavy snowfall.

Teams managed to locate and rescue them at around 1am yesterday morning.

An all-terrain vehicle was deployed to assist teams called out to the Sheilin’ o’ Mark bothy, where the two were stranded.

Scottish Mountain Rescue has warned mountaineers to take “great care” as severe weather conditions are set to carry on through much of this week.

Storm Dudley hit parts of the UK last week and meteorologist Becky Mitchell said three named storms in such quick succession is a first since the system was introduced seven years ago.

She said: “We’ve got a really active jet stream, which is why we’re seeing so many storms track right towards the UK.”

Ms Mitchell said there will “definitely be some impact” from Franklin but it is not expected to be as severe as Eunice.

On Friday, Storm Eunice caused what energy providers believe was a record national outage over a 24-hour period – 83,000 people were still without power yesterday morning, according to the Energy Networks Association.

In London, the O2 Arena will be closed until Friday after part of the venue’s roof was ripped off by Storm Eunice, forcing the rescheduling of concerts.

TRAVEL: Snow ploughs attempt to clear the runway at Aberdeen Airport, which was shut due to heavy snow brought by Storm Eunice.

A cyclist on Countesswells Road, near Foggieton Woods.

Storm damage to the roof of the O2 Arena in London.

Traffic at a standstill at Daviot south of Inverness.