Just look what’s hit us...
80mph weather bomb Ciara blasts Britain in worst storm for 7 years
SCOTLAND will be battered by an 80mph ‘weather bomb’ today – with lives at risk as the biggest storm in years wreaks havoc.
Hurricane-force winds from the 1,000-mile wide Storm Ciara started to hit yesterday.
It is set to be the largest storm to lash Britain since a tempest in October 2013 left four dead and 625,000 homes without power.
Flood warnings have been issued along with forecasts for extreme wind, rain and snow across the country until Tuesday.
Lightning strikes could cause power cuts and disruption is expected to rail, road, ferry and air travel.
And the Royal National Lifeboat Institution yesterday urged people to stay away from coastlines, saying they could be putting their lives at risk.
Last night, the roof of a Perth bar collapsed after the chimney of a neighbouring building was blown down onto the pub.
A statement on The Venue’s Facebook page said: ‘Thankfully no one has been seriously harmed... a big thanks to the emergency services for all their help.’
In Aberdeenshire, a coach driver and passengers escaped injury after the vehicle overturned and landed in a ditch, forcing the closure of the B9000 at the A90 slip for Newburgh. Elsewhere, an Emirates
777 aircraft from Dubai twice failed to land at Glasgow Airport, forcing it to divert to Manchester.
The Skye, Dornoch and Tay Road Bridges were closed to high-sided vehicles and the Forth Road Bridge was closed completely for a time.
A downed tree blocked the rail line between Elgin and Keith, in while train services were also disrupted at Craigendoran, near Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire, where waves overwhelmed sea defences and tripped power on overhead electricity lines.
By late last night, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) had issued 15 flood alerts and 42 more serious flood warnings for different parts of the country.
These included fears low-lying areas around Gourock, Renfrewshire, could be flooded as a storm surge coincided with high tide.
More chaos is expected tomorrow when heavy snow arrives – with the Met Office upgrading its warning to last until midnight on Tuesday.
On higher ground, it is feared that blizzards will make driving conditions impossible, potentially leaving people stranded in their cars. ScotRail said routes were vulneraMoray, ble to delay and cancellation, notably Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh; Glasgow to Oban, Fort William and Mallaig; and to Kilwinning, Largs and Ardrossan in Ayrshire.
Passengers with tickets for these routes today or tomorrow can use them up until Wednesday.
A ScotRail spokesman said: ‘We are asking customers to plan ahead and consider the weather forecast before travelling.’
Network Rail urged people living near railway lines to put away garden furniture – especially trampolines as they can be blown onto overhead power lines.
Ferry operator CalMac said it had to cancel a number of West Coast routes and it may be Wednesday before services return to normal.
Families spending the half-term break on islands are warned they could become stranded.
The Met Office’s Tom Morgan said: ‘Disruption to transport is inevitable, with trees down and potential interruptions to the power supply. There will also be a great deal of rain at times and we’re keeping an eye on things for possible flooding.’