Scotland’s weather: Country lashed by wind, rain – and foam

By ALASTAIR DALTON
Published on 26/09/2012 00:06

SCOTLAND was battered by rain and winds gusting up to 73mph in populated areas yesterday, amid the country’s lowest September air pressure for 30 years.

In Aberdeen, several cars were submerged as foam was blown in from the sea, covering roads and gardens at Footdee.

Flooding and fallen trees blocked roads and railway lines, and several businesses were flooded, with the east coast bearing the brunt of the storm.

However, the good news is drier weather is forecast for the next few days, with showers today and brighter conditions following tomorrow.

The Waterside Bistro, in

Haddington, East Lothian, was flooded for the second time in two months yesterday, one of several businesses in the area to suffer damage.

Police said three roads in Aberdeen were shut because of storm damage, with a driver narrowly avoiding being crushed by a 50ft branch, which crashed on to his van in Willowbank Road in the city centre.

In Edinburgh, the wind caused extensive damage to the assembly hall roof at Portobello High School, while a tree landed on a house in the Redford area.

East Coast advised passengers not to travel after the

Edinburgh-London main line was shut for much of the day by flooding south of Darlington and, earlier, south of Berwick.

Jen McIntyre, who was due to travel from Waverley Station to Newcastle for a meeting, said: “It has been absolute chaos here all morning.”

Other passengers were delayed by trees blocking lines at Stanley, north of Perth, and

Arrochar in Argyll and Bute, while there were overhead power line problems on the Cathcart Circle in Glasgow.

CalMac’s ferry services were badly hit, with 120 passengers stranded aboard a Mull-Oban service for six hours after the MV Isle of Mull was unable to dock in Oban.

A spokesman said: “Severe weather has caused widespread disruption on many CalMac services, from Stornoway-­Ullapool in the north to Islay and Arran in the south.”

Seven flood warnings were in force last night for rivers in the Borders, with flood watches for Edinburgh, Fife, Tayside

and Aberdeenshire. Some 2,000 people were without power

in Aberdeen, Tayside and

Midlothian.

Winds reached 73mph at Inver­bervie, between Stonehaven and Montrose, 69mph in Peterhead, 59mph on Blackford Hill in Edinburgh and 54mph at Kinloss in Moray.

The high winds were triggered by the lowest September pressure north of the Border since 1981, of 973 millibars. Up to 50mm (2in) of rain – one-third of Scotland’s September average – fell during the day.

Related Articles

• Surreal sight as Aberdeen harbour engulfed by foam - picture video

  AT first glance it looks like a generous dump of snow but the white layer which smothered the seafront of the Footdee area of Aberdeen is in fact foam from the North Sea.

  4 Comments