THE River Ness burst its banks yesterday as the Highland capital was battered by storm-force winds and torrential rain.
Flood defences now under construction in the city were breached as exceptionally high spring tides reached their peak.
Several landmark buildings, including one of the main secondary schools, were damaged and flights and train services were badly disrupted.
Inverness High School will be closed today as workers try to repair damage to the roof of the 1930s building.
Shocked pupils and staff saw chunks of the structure land on the playing field about 11.15am yesterday. The 400 pupils were kept inside the building at the morning break because of safety concerns.
Highland Council’s education director, Hugh Fraser, said: “Engineers decided that the area was not safe so pupils were sent home.”
And the matinee performance of the pantomime Sleeping Beauty at Eden Court Theatre was cancelled because of weather damage to the stage area. Other performances were not affected.
Thousands of people across the region were still without power last night as engineers struggled to repair the network. The Black Isle was particularly badly affected.
Flights from Inverness to Stornoway were also grounded as the storm wreaked havoc across the region. All trains were cancelled and in many cases no alternative buses were brought in.
Aonach Mor, near Fort William, was hit by gusts of up to 142mph, and wind speeds of 116mph and 93mph were recorded at Stornoway and Altnaharra respectively.
By mid-morning, the winds had dropped around Inverness, only to be replaced by regular squalls of rain, snow and hail.
Local authority officials were preparing last night to deal with plunging temperatures and had their fleet of gritters out on the roads.
Sandbags were placed along Huntly Street and Douglas Row as the level of the River Ness crept up as high tide loomed.
Firefighters were also called in to monitor the situation in case pumps were needed. The tidal surge was not as bad as feared but one house in Douglas Row was flooded.
Councillor Bet McAllister said yesterday that the severity of the weather showed why the multimillion-pound flood defences were needed.
Elsewhere in the city, masonry was blown down on to the street from above the dormer window of a two-storey block of flats on Grant Street.
The incident happened shortly before 6am, when no one was about. The street was cordoned off for much of the day.
In Hilton, garage roofs were blown off and the street below part of the Rose Street multi-storey car park was closed after wind damage left spars dangling precariously over the pavement.
Across Highland, 57 schools were shut. Wind turbines in the grounds of 13 primaries and secondaries were also switched off as a precaution.
Elsewhere, the Skye bridge was closed, cutting off the island’s only road link with the mainland.
Many major routes were blocked by trees and there were reports of damage to property caused by trampolines being blown away.