The Scottish transport minister has given an update on the country’s preparations for Storm Ophelia.
A Scottish Government Resilience meeting has taken place as the country prepares to be battered by the remnants of the ex-Hurricane, which has caused carnage across Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Ferries and planes across Scotland are already being affected, with Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) flood alerts in place in Dumfries and Galloway, Argyll and Bute, Ayrshire, Arran and West Central Scotland.
There are eight local flood warnings in Dumfries and Galloway
The Met Office has warned of “danger to life” from flying debris in the worst hit areas of Scotland as Ophelia moves into the country.
Tayside and Fife, Strathclyde, the Highlands, the Western Isles, The Borders, Lothian, Dumfries and Galloway all subject to Met Office yellow “severe” weather warnings of wind.
More serious amber “be prepared” alerts are in place for south-west Scotland, Lothian, the Borders and Strathclyde.
Gusts of as high as 80mph are likely in places. Today on the south coast of Ireland speeds of 119mph have been recorded.
Scottish transport minister and SNP MSP Humza Yousaf said: “The Met Office is telling us southwest Scotland in particular is going to see some difficult weather today and into tomorrow as a result of ex-Hurricane Ophelia. More generally, the whole of the west coast can expect some blustery conditions.
“The strongest winds are expected to reach southwest Scotland from around late afternoon and they will peak during the evening. Gusts of 55-65mph are expected quite widely, with gusts 80mph likely in places.
“The conditions are leading to transport disruption and we are urging people to take the weather into account if they are planning to travel.
“On the roads, there is the potential for disruption, especially on bridges and we people should check the latest information before they set-off, drive to the conditions and follow police advice.
“The Traffic Scotland service now give details of ‘wind based’ closures for eleven major trunk route bridges allowing people to plan ahead with more accuracy.
“Motorists should check Traffic Scotland before they set off to make sure that their route is available.
“We would urge people to sign up to SEPA’s Floodline service to get the latest flood information direct to their mobile phone and people can contact the free 105 service to report or get information about power cuts in the local area.”
