Storm Barra: What to expect across Edinburgh, the Lothians and Fife
Last updated 7th Dec 2021
Storm Barra will hit the UK and Ireland with disruptive winds, heavy rain and snow on Tuesday, according to the Met Office - threatening more chaos as some households in England continue to struggle without power in the wake of Storm Arwen.
Weather warnings for snow, ice, rain and wind have been issued as Storm Barra sweeps in from the Atlantic.
All homes in Scotland have now been reconnected to the grid, but we are hearing about the potential for major travel disruption.
A yellow warning for wind, which comes into effect at 9am on Tuesday, covers East Lothian and parts of Fife.
And a snow alert, which kicks in at 11am, will affect parts of Midlothian.
Roads
Annie Shuttleworth from the Met Office said: "We're expecting some travel disruption, particularly over the high routes. There could be some stranded vehicles and passengers in these areas."
Trains
Scotrail services between Edinburgh and Cowdenbeath, and Edinburgh and Aberdeen, will stop at 3pm on Tuesday.
From the same time, trains from the capital to Arbroath will only run as far as Dundee.
And London North Eastern Railway has also told passengers of changes to services because of the oncoming storm.
Its 2pm and 4pm services from King's Cross to Aberdeen will both terminate at Edinburgh, LNER said on Twitter.
Because of speed restrictions, its 10am King's Cross to Aberdeen service will be delayed, as will its 2.52pm service from Aberdeen to King's Cross.
LNER said some services on Wednesday will also be altered.
Its 9.52am service from Aberdeen to King's Cross will start in Edinburgh, and its 6.18pm service from Aberdeen to Leeds will also begin in the capital.
Response
Deputy First Minister John Swinney chaired a meeting of the Scottish Government's Resilience Room on Monday ahead of the arrival of the storm.
"In preparation for Storm Barra, I met resilience partners to oversee efforts and ensure every possible resource is deployed and continues to stand by to co-ordinate support," he said after the meeting.
"The Scottish Government is in close contact with local authorities and the emergency services to ensure people in the affected areas receive the latest information and support where needed. I would urge everyone in the affected areas to exercise caution and follow the latest travel advice.
"I want to assure the public that we have strong and robust arrangements in place to manage and address weather-related resilience issues at a national, regional and local level. In the aftermath of Storm Arwen, we will review the preparations and response to ensure we learn from this most exceptional storm."