Storm Isha: One dead and thousands still without power in Scotland
Police Scotland say a pensioner has died following the storm last night
Last updated 22nd Jan 2024
A man has died after a car hit a fallen tree as Storm Isha battered the country with winds of up to 107mph.
The 84-year-old man was a passenger in a Hyundai car which collided with the tree on the A905, Beancross Road in Grangemouth at around 11.45pm on Sunday while an amber warning was in place.
Police said he was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other occupants of the vehicle were not injured.
Thousands of people are without power and no ScotRail rush hour trains ran on Monday following the storm, while dozens of schools are shut.
Amber and red warnings were in force at the storm's height and a yellow alert warning of gusts of up to 80mph is in force until midday on Monday.
Police appealed for information about the crash in Grangemouth, in the Falkirk Council area.
'Our thoughts are with the family and friends'
Road Policing Inspector Andrew Thomson said: "Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the man who died, and all those involved in the collision. We continue to offer them support as our inquiries progress.
"I'd be keen to speak to anyone who saw what happened or was on the A905 around 11.45pm yesterday (Sunday).
"I'd also request anyone with dashcam footage of Beancross Road around that time, please review your footage and bring anything of significance to our attention."
Warnings to travellers
Many ferry services have been cancelled and, on the roads, police have urged motorists to exercise caution when travelling as conditions may be hazardous.
The "destructive" storm-force winds damaged overhead power lines in the north of Scotland, affecting supplies for more than 20,000 Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution customers in the area.
SSEN said that, as of 8.45am on Monday, supplies had been successfully restored to more than 17,500 customers, with 10,500 properties currently off supply.
It said that while teams are working hard to reconnect customers, full restoration is not expected on Monday because of the widespread damage, and challenges reaching faults because of fallen trees and road closures.
Thousands without power
Andy Smith, operations director at SSEN Distribution, said: "From first light this morning, our teams have been carrying out line patrols to assess the full extent of any damage to our network.
"This work will continue through the day, enabling us to target our repairs in the right location and provide our customers with estimated restoration times. The latest information will be displayed on our power track app.
"We're working closely with resilience partners to support our customers' welfare. I'd also encourage anyone who may need additional support to contact our dedicated teams on our power cut helpline, 105."
SP Energy Networks customers were also affected and the company said engineers were working round the clock to restore power."
As of 12 noon on Monday 22 January, a spokesperson said: "The storm has affected 62,000 of our customers across central and southern Scotland, with power restored to 55,500 customers so far.
"6,500 customers are currently without power and our engineers are doing everything they can – in challenging conditions – to restore supplies quickly and safely.
"Safety remains our number one priority and while high winds in some areas are making it unsafe to work at height, we continue to use every available resource to get everyone back on supply at the earliest opportunity."
A rare red "danger to life" warning of wind was in force in northern Scotland until 5am on Monday, while an amber warning of wind for the whole country was lifted at 6am.
A Met Office yellow warning of strong wind remains in force until midday, with warnings of gusts of 50-60mph inland and up 80mph in exposed coastal areas.
Rail disruption
Transport Scotland said a gust of 107mph was recorded on the Tay Bridge and the Met Office said there was one of 84mph at Salsburgh, North Lanarkshire.
ScotRail suspended services at 7pm on Sunday and said there would be no services on Monday morning following the storm.
The company said each route will have to undergo a safety inspection on Monday, meaning it will be later on before any trains can run.
ScotRail customer operations director Phil Campbell said: "We know the impact that the withdrawal of train services will have on customers, but our first priority is always to ensure the safety of staff and passengers - and this is a necessary step to ensure everyone's safety during the severe weather."
Speaking later on BBC Radio Scotland, he said it will be late morning and into the afternoon before routes start to reopen.
Network Rail Scotland said it had at least 10 trees to remove from the railway between Garrowhill and Easterhouse on Monday morning, and there has been "significant damage" to overhead wires, which need to be repaired.
Elsewhere, the remains of a garden shed were found on the line at Bellgrove station in Glasgow.
Ferry and school closures
Police warned people to expect disruption.
Police Scotland tweeted: "Conditions for travel across Scotland may be hazardous and extra caution should be exercised by all road users."
Roads including the M9 and the A1 were among those affected by closures while some bridges were shut to high-sided vehicles.
Many Caledonian MacBrayne ferry services were also disrupted or cancelled because of the weather conditions, while NorthLink ferries warned services may be affected.
In the Highlands, 38 schools were shut on Monday, while four were shut in Aberdeenshire and about 20 in Dumfries and Galloway.
Emergency declared on flights
On Sunday evening, a flight travelling from Sharm el-Sheikh to Glasgow Airport declared an emergency during Storm Isha.
A spokesman for Glasgow Airport said on Sunday that the Tui flight was "diverted to Manchester due to current weather conditions".
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has issued 51 flood warnings and 17 flood alerts around the country.
Martin Thomson, national operations manager for resilience at Transport Scotland, said its resilience plans are in full effect.