A new yellow wind warning as Storm Kathleen continues to hit Scotland
The Met Office has it in place from 9am this morning, 7 April, until later this afternoon
Last updated 7th Apr 2024
Scotland will continue to face the threat of power cuts and travel disruption as high winds and heavy rain from Storm Kathleen persist into Sunday.
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) has 18 regional flood alerts and 43 flood warnings in place in Scotland. They have been in force since Saturday.
The Met Office has also issued a new yellow wind warning to come in force at 9am on Sunday, affecting parts of the east and northern Highlands, the Isle of Skye and the Hebrides. It will remain in force until 3pm.
Winds as high as 73mph were recorded in Drumalbin, South Lanarkshire.
A previous warning stretched from the Scottish Borders to just south of Stirling.
It spanned the west coast, throughout much of central Scotland, and ended just short of the east coast.
Travel issues
A number of train lines in the west are being affected by the high winds, with services between Largs, Ardrossan Harbour, and Kilwinning running on a replacement bus.
Passengers affected can use rail tickets on any of the four buses running both directions between Glasgow and Largs, and Glasgow and Kilwinning, however trains are still running as usual between Glasgow Central and Kilwinning.
Services from Helensburgh Central and Dumbarton have also been cancelled, but trains to Balloch are still running.
West coast ferry services are also subject to cancellations and delays, with CalMac halting all sailings to Arran on the Ardrossan - Brodick and Brodick - Troon routes, as the MV Alfred was unable to berth at Troon for a period this afternoon.
Sailings between Claoniag and Lochranza, and Wemyss Bay and Rothsay will be reviewed at 3.30pm.
Meanwhile services to Cumbrae from Largs, Portavadie from Tarbert, and Rhubodach from Colintraive are struggling with delays, though they are still mostly running.
High winds in the east mean the Forth Road Bridge is currently closed to all double-deck buses, vehicles with trailers, motorcycles, cyclists and pedestrians.
50mph winds in the north could see flooding in coastal areas.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is warning there could be problems in Stonehaven, Findhorn and Lossiemouth.
Coastal areas most affected
Vincent Fitzsimons, Sepa's flood duty manager, said: "Across the weekend, Scotland is braced for impacts from Storm Kathleen including very high winds and coastal flooding in western areas.
"Flooding impacts are expected across western coastal areas throughout the weekend.
"Impacts start in the Solway coast and Firth of Clyde on Saturday and then move around the coast to the eastern side of the country over the next few days.
"Of particular concern is the likely impact to communities in the Western Isles and Orkney late Saturday and across Sunday.
"On top of already high tides, Kathleen will bring a storm surge and large waves. This combination is particularly dangerous, especially around high tides.
Danger to life
"There is real danger to life from wave overtopping, particularly around causeways, coastal roads and paths.
"Disruption to travel and infrastructure is possible, as is isolated flooding to coastal properties and communities.
"While the risk is greatest around high tide times, our message is clear: take extra care if you are near the coast at any point and stay well clear of waves and water.
"Be careful when travelling around exposed coastal areas and don't walk or drive through flood water as there may be hidden hazards."
The Met Office has warned of potential damage to buildings, power cuts, poor mobile phone coverage and danger to life because of large waves and debris from beaches being thrown on to seafronts.
Scotland's ferry operator CalMac announced a number of cancellations because of the weather, with warnings that other services may be cancelled at short notice.
Scotrail previously warned that some of its services were disrupted between 12pm and 7pm.
On Saturday, more than 140 flights throughout the UK were cancelled as a result of the storm and in Ireland, around 34,000 people were left without electricity earlier on Saturday, with the number later decreasing to around 12,000.