Storm Eowyn LIVE: Power cuts, roads blocked, bridges closed as winds reach 102mph in Scotland
Scotland faces a yellow, amber and even a rare red weather warning today as Storm Eowyn batters the country.
Councils ordered school closures and advised people to stay indoors.
Trains, ferries, buses and flights have been cancelled, with widespread damage to buildings and power cuts.
Scroll down to keep up to date with news throughout the day.
Follow here for all updates as Storm Eowyn hits Scotland
Good morning...
Morning everyone!
Scotland is bracing itself to be hit by Storm Eowyn today with yellow, amber and even a rare red weather warning in place.
Please make sure you’re planning to stay indoors where you can, make sure you’ve charged your phone in case the power cuts, and you’ve secured what you need to secure before the wind hits.
We’ll be here through out the day to provide news and updates from across the country.
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Emergency Alert
I can’t have been the only one who leapt out of my skin when my phone suddenly blasted out the alarm last night. I can’t remember the last time we got one.
The Emergency Alarm is to help warn people of the incoming storm, especially with a Red Weather warning covering the Central Belt, with yellow and amber further north.
As the emergency alert says, it is unsafe to travel today, as a red warning indicated a threat to life.
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School days
As above, councils across Scotland have announced that local schools and facilities will be closed today.
ScotRail announced yesterday afternoon that they would be suspending all services today with no exception.
They have said that they are hoping to reintroduce services after the warnings, but please, definitely check ahead if you are hoping to travel this weekend.
Weather warnings are still in place over the weekend, although the red warning is set to end today.
For those preparing....
The Met Office include advice on their site on how to keep safe during a Red Weather Warning:
“ Keep yourself and others safe; avoid travelling by road during potentially dangerous conditions. It is not safe to drive in these conditions.
Don't risk injury to others or damage to your property. If you can do so safely, check for loose items outside your home and secure them. Items include; bins, garden furniture, trampolines, tents, sheds, and fences.
Being outside in high winds makes you vulnerable to injury. Stay indoors if you can.People cope better with power cuts when they have prepared for them in advance. It’s easy to do; consider gathering torches and batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.
If you live or work on the coast, beware of large waves, even from the shore large breaking waves can sweep you off your feet and out to sea. In an emergency, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
Stay up to date with the weather forecast for your area and follow advice from emergency services and local authorities. “
Someone said to me last night “remember to have your phone charged, and your portable phone charger charged just in case the power cuts and you need to make an emergency call” and now I’m telling all of you.
Always best to be prepared.
The storm has already hit Ireland, with their weather warnings in place from 6 am.
Schools there are also closed and transported halted. We’ll be keeping an eye there too for early signs of the strength of the storm although there appears to already be wide spread power outage.
In case you missed it....
Police Scotland Chief Superintendent Hilary Sloan said: "Our advice to any road user is not travelling, and that's really the message we want to get across today.
"It's really unusual for us to have a red weather warning and that advice is in place for the duration of that warning."
In a statement at the Scottish Parliament , First Minister John Swinney said: "The Met Office advice is clear, the potential impacts include danger to life, structural damage to property and transport and power disruptions.
"We have to be clear, people should not travel."
A wind speed of 114mph brought by Storm Eowyn has been recorded in Ireland , the fastest since records began, forecaster Met Eireann said.
Edinburgh Airport now showing widespread flight cancellations. Please, if you are still travelling today - which is not advised - check ahead of time.
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A very different looking Edinburgh Waverley this morning at what would have been rush hour - all trains were cancelled today due to the storm...
Many supermarkets are announcing that they will be closed today due to the red weather warning... so again, stay safe and please check your local stores ahead of time!!
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How do you pronounce Storm Éowyn?
Good question. In fact, it’s not that difficult - you say it as it looks:
“Ay-oh-win”, as the Met Office it puts it.
Flood warnings issued for south west Scotland
While the initial focus in the storm is exceptionally strong winds battering the west coast, people living in coastal areas are also warned of potential flooding.
Flood warnings for the coast between Ayr and Troon, and around both East and West Luce Bay, south of Stranraer, have been issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
Lesser flood alerts are in force for other parts of the west coast.
Winds gusting to 86mph have been recorded at Dundrennan on the south coast Dumfries and Galloway, the Met Office reports.
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