Storm Floris, the sixth named storm of the 2024-25 season, has brought gusts exceeding 100mph to parts of the UK, causing widespread travel disruption, power cuts, and event cancellations. Central and northern Scotland bore the brunt on Monday, with a gust of 134mph recorded at the summit of Cairn Gorm in the Highlands. The strongest gust away from mountains was 80mph at South Uist.
An amber weather warning, indicating a danger to life, was in place across much of Scotland until 11pm on Monday. Police advised against unnecessary travel. Yellow warnings for strong winds covered southern Scotland, Northern Ireland, parts of north Wales, and northern England until midnight. The Met Office described the storm as 'uncharted territory' for August.
Rail travel was severely disrupted, 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 many services stopped at midday. Network Rail warned that disruption could continue into Tuesday as crews clear fallen trees and debris. The Forth Bridge was closed to double-decker buses, motorcyclists, and pedestrians, while the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle was shut to all traffic.
Aviation was also affected, with 68 flights cancelled from UK airports on Monday, including 12 at Aberdeen. The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo cancelled its Monday performance for the first time in 75 years due to weather, and numerous Edinburgh Festival Fringe events were called off. Edinburgh Zoo closed at lunchtime due to escalating winds.
Power cuts affected thousands, with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) working to restore power to 22,500 properties in the Highlands and north-east Scotland. SSEN's director of customer operations, Andy Smith, said Floris was the strongest summer storm the company had seen in a very long time. Lorna Slater, Scottish Green co-leader, said the storm underscored the need for urgent climate action.
