The Scottish government held emergency meetings on Monday night as Storm Floris caused widespread disruption across the country, with 119 incidents reported on the rail network, including 75 related to fallen trees. The Resilience Room meeting included representatives from the Met Office, Police Scotland, Transport Scotland, and utility companies to coordinate the response.
Winds of up to 90mph have led to significant damage, with ScotRail warning that suspended routes require inspection before reopening. Disruption is expected until around 4pm on Tuesday. Caledonian Sleeper services were cancelled on Monday night, while LNER advised passengers not to travel north of Newcastle, and TransPennine Express suspended services north of Carlisle or Newcastle until 9am.
Utility companies are working to reconnect properties affected by power outages, and trunk road operators are clearing fallen trees and debris. Justice and home affairs secretary Angela Constance stated: “As expected, there has been significant disruption, particularly across the travel networks. The weather is expected to improve tomorrow, but the recovery period will require some time to clear the debris.”
The Met Office recorded a gust of 134mph at Cairn Gorm summit, while the strongest gust away from mountains was 80mph at South Uist. The Forth Bridge was closed to double-decker buses, motorcyclists, and pedestrians, and the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle was closed to all traffic. Police received multiple reports of campervans being blown over on the A87 in Skye.
Storm Floris also forced the cancellation of the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo for the first time in its 75-year history, along with several Edinburgh Festival Fringe events. The Met Office warned of further unseasonable wet and windy weather late on Wednesday and into Thursday for northwestern parts of the UK.
