Storm Floris, the sixth named storm of the 2024-25 season, has brought gusts of over 100mph to parts of the UK, causing widespread travel disruption, power cuts, and event cancellations. The strongest gust recorded was 134mph at the summit of Cairn Gorm in the Highlands, while the strongest away from mountains was 80mph at South Uist.
An amber weather warning, warning of danger to life, is in place across much of Scotland until 11pm on Monday, with police advising against unnecessary travel. Yellow warnings cover southern Scotland, Northern Ireland, parts of north Wales, and northern England, with 'unseasonably strong and potentially disruptive winds' expected until midnight.
Rail travel has been severely affected, with LNER telling passengers not to travel north of Newcastle, and Avanti West Coast advising against travel north of Preston. ScotRail imposed a blanket 50mph speed restriction and halted many services at midday. Network Rail warned that disruption could continue into Tuesday due to fallen trees and debris.
Several bridges, including the Forth Bridge and Tyne Bridge, were closed to certain vehicles or all traffic. Campervans were blown over on the A87 road to the Isle of Skye. Aviation analytics company Cirium reported 68 flight cancellations from UK airports, with Aberdeen worst affected.
Event cancellations included the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo for the first time in its 75-year history due to weather, along with many Edinburgh festival fringe events and the closure of Edinburgh zoo. School pupils in Orkney, Shetland, and the Western Isles were warned of delays to exam results delivery.
Power cuts affected 22,500 properties in the Highlands and north-east Scotland, with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) warning that not all would be reconnected by the end of Monday. The Met Office described Storm Floris as 'uncharted territory' for August, while experts and politicians highlighted the role of climate change in such extreme summer storms.
