Police and the Scottish Government have told people to prepare for travel disruption as the country braces for Storm Ali.
Winds of up to 80mph could batter western Scotland on Wednesday as the severe conditions move in from the Atlantic – with Tayside and Fife expected to experience gusts of 75mph.
The Met Office has warned of “injuries or danger to life”, power cuts, road and bridge closures and widespread travel disruption – and said buildings could be damaged due to fallen trees.
A Met Office amber warning for wind, effective from 8am until 5pm on Wednesday, has been issued for Tayside and Fife and neighbouring Grampian. A second yellow one remains in place from 6am until 10pm.
The Scottish Government said Traffic Scotland will be providing updates for travellers throughout the day via social media, its website and radio broadcasts – and told Scots to check the latest forecasts before commuting.
Train, plane and ferry cancellations are possible on Wednesday.
Scottish cabinet secretary for transport, infrastructure and connectivity Michael Matheson said: “The Met Office is telling us the southern half of Scotland in particular is going to see some difficult weather tomorrow as a result of Storm Ali. More generally, the whole of the country is going to see blustery conditions throughout Wednesday.
“The strongest winds are expected to reach 75mph in some places, and will likely bring some heavy rainfall with them.
“There is the potential for disruption on the roads, especially on bridges, and people should check the latest information before they set off, drive to the conditions and follow Police advice.
“The Traffic Scotland service gives details of ‘wind based’ closures for the bridges on trunk road network, allowing people to plan ahead accordingly.
“Motorists should check Traffic Scotland before they set off to make sure that their route is available.
“The Traffic Scotland mobile website – my.trafficscotland.org – lets people get the latest information on the move and Traffic Scotland twitter page is updated regularly.
“The conditions are also likely to lead to disruption on other modes of transport, so we are urging people to take the weather into account if they are planning to travel on trains, ferries and flights.”
Head of road policing, Chief Superintendent Stewart Carle, said: “If you are driving a vehicle which may be vulnerable to being blown over in such conditions along exposed routes including bridges, please exercise additional caution and plan your route to avoid exposed areas or consider cancelling your journey until conditions improve.
“Previous incidents have clearly shown the dangers of driving vehicles vulnerable to being blown over in high wind conditions and the subsequent danger created for other road users, emergency services and recovery operatives where incidents have occurred due to drivers ignoring warnings.
“Listen to media broadcasts especially local radio and Traffic Scotland Radio or visit www.trafficscotland.org. For public transport information visit www.travelinescotland.com.”
