Kath-astrophic! 90mph storm brings travel chaos as it whips across Scotland
GUSTS of up to 90mph and heavy rain battered Scotland yesterday as Storm Kathleen sparked travel chaos that hit ferries, airports, rail routes and the road network.
While the spring storm that barrelled in from the North Atlantic brought warmer air that saw temperatures reach 17C (62F), it also whipped up fierce winds.
A Met Office warning for severe weather was put in place with a potential ‘danger to life’ threat due to high waves and flying debris.
A further yellow warning for wind remains in force for NorthWest Scotland until 3pm today. Conditions are expected to settle down by tomorrow.
Amid the howling wind and rain, thermometers reached 17C at locations as far apart as Edinburgh and Achnagart in Ross-shire.
As the storm hit yesterday, ferries were cancelled as huge waves crashed against harbour walls the length of the West coast.
CalMac were forced to cancel a string of services including Ardrossan to Brodick, Claonaig to Lochranza and
Oban to Castlebay.
Fans heading from NorthHighlands
‘Massive respect to all the pilots today’
ern Ireland for today’s Rangers v Celtic match in Glasgow were among passengers hit by the cancellation of a number of Stena Line ferries from Belfast to Cairnryan as well as P&O services from Larne to the Wigtownshire port.
Passengers have been urged to check with operators today as more ferries may have to be cancelled.
Meanwhile, dramatic footage from Glasgow Airport showed a holiday jet from Faro in Portugal twice abandon its landing at the last moment as the pilot tried to touch down amid the high winds. The plane eventually had to be diverted to Newcastle. A number of flights from Glasgow and Edinburgh had to be cancelled outright, including services to Barra, Tiree, Belfast and Dublin.
The Glasgow Airport Spotters group said: ‘Massive respect to all the pilots on days like today.’
Train services were affected from Glasgow Central to Largs and Ardrossan Harbour as waves threatened to swamp power lines on exposed coastal lines.
Train timetables in the West
and the Borders were also hit by delays, while a tree that was blown onto overhead cables at Bathgate in West Lothian disrupted services to Edinburgh.
The Forth Road Bridge was closed to traffic yesterday afternoon as gale force winds exceeding 65mph were recorded.
Heavy rain saw localised flooding on many roads while uprooted trees blocked some streets including one in central Edinburgh.
The strongest wind, at 91mph, was recorded in the Cairngorms while South Uist in the Western Isles had 70mph gusts at 10am.
Elsewhere, 66mph was registered at Drumalbin in Lanarkshire, just ahead of a 64mph gust at Machrihanish in Argyll.
With the weather warning still in place for much of today, Vincent
Fitzsimons, flood duty manager at the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, said: ‘Scotland remains braced for impacts from Storm Kathleen including high winds and coastal flooding in western areas. Impacts start in the Solway coast and Firth of Clyde and move around the coast to the eastern side of the country. Of particular concern is likely impacts to communities in the Western Isles and Orkney across the weekend.
‘On top of already high tides, Kathleen will bring a storm surge and large waves. This combination is particularly dangerous – especially around high tides.
‘There is real danger to life from wave overtopping around causeways, coastal roads and paths.
‘Our message is for people to take extra care if you are near the coast at any point and don’t walk or drive through flood water as there may be hidden hazards.’
The danger didn’t deter one daredevil windsurfer who was spotted riding the waves off the Ayrshire town of Troon.
The warm air that arrived with Storm Kathleen also saw the UK provisionally record the hottest day of the year so far yesterday.
The 20.9C (69F) reached at Santon Downham, Suffolk, topped the 19.9C (68F) set at the end of January at Achfary in the Highlands.
Meteorologist Ellie Glaisyer said: ‘We are seeing higher temperatures as the storm is bringing warmer air from the continent.’
‘A real danger to life from wave overtopping’