Storm Boelo has brought 80mph gusts and widespread travel disruption to much of Scotland this weekend, shortly after Storm Austen brought heavy rain to many areas on Friday. The Met Office has warned of potential injuries and danger to life from flying debris, as well as a chance of damage to buildings, power cuts and travel disruption.
Amber warnings and record gusts
The amber wind warning came into force at 9pm on Saturday night and will remain in place until 9pm on Sunday, with only Orkney remaining under a yellow warning. The storm brought 80mph wind gusts to Islay, just off the West Coast in Argyll and Bute, overnight on Sunday. Tiree saw 82mph gusts at about 4am, and in the Glasgow region, the Met Office recorded up to 62mph wind gusts at the same time.
It has also caused disruptions from fallen trees and flooding on the roads in Scotland overnight. In a series of updates on social media, Traffic Scotland said several A roads remain closed in some areas on Sunday morning, including the A1 motorway at Ayton due to power cables on the carriageway, the A75 between Collin and Carrutherstown due to fallen trees, the A82 at the Bridge of Orchy due to fallen trees, the A78 Shore Road in Skelmorlie due to damage to the road surface, and the A85 at Achnacloich partially blocked in both directions.
Road and rail closures
The A83 is closed in both directions at Inveraray due to a fallen tree. Other A roads, including the A84 at Runacraig, the A87 at Breakish, A726 at Righead Roundabout, and the A76 at Drumlanrig, were closed overnight due to fallen trees but were reopened by 8am on Sunday morning.
A social media post from Traffic Scotland said: “Several trees have fallen across the trunk roads in Scotland overnight due to Storm Boelo. Teams are working hard to deal with these incidents as quickly and effectively as possible. Check your route to avoid disruption on the roads today.” Sections of two motorways were also closed earlier but have since reopened. The M74 motorway was closed northbound between Junctions 7 and 6 due to a fallen tree, and the M8 motorway was also closed at Junction 18 eastbound due to flooding, but reopened just before 5am.
Ferry and rail services disrupted
Many ferry services across the country have also been cancelled or are facing disruption. Of CalMac’s 30 ferry services, 24 have been cancelled, some of them until Monday. Three other services are facing disruption or last-minute cancellations because of the weather. Several rail lines in western and northern Scotland have also closed as a result of the strong wind and heavy rain warnings across the country.
Services south and west of Kilwinning in North Ayrshire stopped from 9pm on Saturday, while further north the Oban and Mallaig lines closed from about 10pm. On Sunday, the line between Kyle of Lochalsh and Achnashellach in the Highlands will be closed from the start of service, as well as the railway between Wick and Helmsdale. ScotRail said speed restrictions are also expected across much of the network from late Saturday night and throughout Sunday, with the potential for restrictions to remain in place on the Far North Line between Inverness and Wick into Monday morning.
Flood alerts and power cuts
These restrictions mean trains will operate at lower speeds than normal, resulting in longer journey times, delays and possible cancellations. ScotRail has advised people to check before travelling and to consider alternative arrangements where possible. The rail operator also said people with tickets for travel on Saturday or Sunday can travel on any service on Saturday, or use their ticket once routes reopen following the storm, including on Monday.
As of 12pm on Saturday, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) had 11 regional flood alerts and 10 local flood warnings in place across parts of the country. The agency said there is a risk of surface water, river and coastal flooding across many parts of Scotland this weekend. “A band of persistent rain will affect most of Scotland through Saturday,” Sepa said in a social media post. “By the evening, it will turn much windier bringing widespread high winds and severe gales with particular concern around coastal flooding impacts for western areas.”
Energy company SSEN has reported 74 power cuts affecting areas across parts of Scotland on Sunday morning, rising to a total of 93 unplanned power cuts by 10am. The power outages have been reported across Highlands, Argyll, Western Isles, Orkney, parts of Perth and Kinross, and Stirling. Large parts of the Isle of Mull, Skye, Harris and Lewis have also been affected by the power cuts.
In a social media post on Sunday, the power company said it is “working hard to respond to damage caused by Storm Boelo”. “Severe weather across our network will continue today and further disruption remains possible,” SSEN said. “If you see any damage to our network, please stay back, don’t touch it and report it to us by calling 105.”
Flooding has also hit parts of Scotland’s west coast overnight. In a widely shared video on social media, flood water is seen running down Largs Main Street past businesses and roads. The business which shared the video on Facebook claimed that the street flooded “at its highest level ever”. Police also warned drivers on Arran to avoid the A841 between Lochranza and Pirnmill, which is closed due to a sink hole. “Please do not attempt to use either route and consider whether your journey is essential in the current conditions if you do need to drive,” Ayrshire police said on social media.
