Storm Floris has wreaked havoc across the UK, bringing gusts of more than 100mph, widespread travel disruption, and power cuts to thousands of homes. Central and northern Scotland bore the brunt of the storm, which the Met Office described as 'uncharted territory' for August.
A gust of 134mph was recorded at Cairn Gorm summit, while the strongest gust away from mountains was 80mph at South Uist. An amber warning for danger to life was in place across much of Scotland until 11pm Monday, with police advising against unnecessary travel. Yellow warnings covered southern Scotland, Northern Ireland, parts of north Wales and northern England.
Rail travel was severely affected, with LNER and Avanti West Coast advising passengers not to travel north of Newcastle and Preston respectively. ScotRail imposed a blanket 50mph speed restriction, with many services halted by midday. Network Rail warned disruption could continue into Tuesday as teams cleared fallen trees and debris from tracks.
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 also called off. Edinburgh Zoo closed at lunchtime. The Forth Bridge was closed to double-decker buses, motorcyclists and pedestrians, while the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle was shut to all traffic.
Power cuts affected 22,500 properties in the Highlands and north-east Scotland, with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks warning more were expected. The company said the storm was the strongest summer storm it had seen in a long time. A number of campervans were blown over on the A87 road to the Isle of Skye, and 68 flights from UK airports were cancelled, including 12 at Aberdeen.
Dr Jess Neumann of the University of Reading warned that summer storms posed added dangers during peak holiday time, when people are less prepared. Lorna Slater of the Scottish Greens said the storm underlined the need for urgent climate action, adding that such extreme weather would become more common.
