An amber weather warning for wind across Scotland and a yellow warning for rain for parts of the country have come into force in response to Storm Boelo. The amber wind warning affects almost all of Scotland, with the exception of Orkney and the Shetland Isles, although Orkney still has a yellow wind warning in place. It came into force at 9pm, and is to remain in place until 9pm on Sunday.
Warnings and Expected Gusts
The yellow rain warning that came into force concurrently affects central parts of the Highlands, including Inverness, and will be called off at 3pm on Sunday. It comes after Storm Austen brought heavy rain to much of the UK 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. “Very strong westerly winds associated with Storm Boelo are expected, with fairly widespread gusts of 60 to 70mph and gusts to 80mph in exposed coastal areas,” the Met Office said. “The strongest winds will initially affect western Scotland and the far north of Northern Ireland on Saturday evening and then spread eastwards overnight and through Sunday.”
Flood Alerts and Travel Disruption
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has 29 flood warnings and 11 less severe flood alerts in place across all parts of Scotland. Several rail lines in western and northern Scotland have either closed, or are set to close later as a result of the strong wind and heavy rain warnings across the country.
Services south and west of Kilwinning in North Ayrshire stopped at 9pm on Saturday while further north the Oban and Mallaig lines will close 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 Restrictions and Ferry Cancellations
ScotRail has put in place speed restrictions 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. 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. The storm has also affected ferry services across the country. All of CalMac’s 30 ferry services have been cancelled, some of them until Monday. All other routes are facing disruption or last-minute cancellations because of the weather.
Government Response and Event Cancellations
Scottish ministers have activated the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGORR) to prepare for Storm Boelo. Social Justice and Housing Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville chaired an SGORR meeting on Friday and said it will continue to “monitor the situation closely over the weekend and provide regular updates to the public”.
The City of Edinburgh Council said it was closing Princes Street Gardens, Lauriston Castle Grounds and Saughton Winter Gardens on Saturday evening because of the forecast and will reopen them on Monday once it is safe to do so. Edinburgh Castle will also be closed on Sunday.
The Paisley Halloween Festival event on Saturday – one of Scotland’s best-known Halloween events, according to organisers – was cancelled thanks to the severe weather forecast. The free-to-attend event was planned to take over the Paisley town centre and host a parade of more than 400 professional performers and community groups, and included street theatre and outdoor light installations. Friday night’s event went ahead as planned, but Renfrewshire Council made the decision to cancel its plans for Saturday after taking advice from contractors and its health and safety team.
“We’re very sorry for any inconvenience caused but public safety is our priority, and we want our events to be safe and enjoyable for everyone,” Lucy Adamson, Renfrewshire Council’s head of marketing, communications and events, said. The Enchanted Forest event at Pitlochry on Saturday was also cancelled, and organisers have said it is possible Sunday’s event may be cancelled too.
