Residents are bracing themselves for another wave of severe weather as Storm Dudley takes a grip of the country.
Gusts of up to 90mph are expected to batter parts of Scotland this afternoon, causing major disruption to travel services and potential damage infrastructure.
A series of weather alerts have been issued for Wednesday and Thursday, with the Met Office warning there is a chance of injuries and danger to life from flying debris.
A yellow warning for very strong winds and heavy rain will come into affect at 1pm today – after the start time of the alert was brought forward with two hours – and will remain in place until 6am tomorrow.
Although most parts of northern Scotland will be spared the harsh conditions, Aberdeenshire, Argyll and Bute and the southern Highlands will bear the brunt of the furious weather.
Aberdeenshire Council has advised residents to keep away from woodlands and take precautions to protect their properties as storm winds are expected to again topple trees and cause damage to structures.
The Met Office has recently tweaked the start time of a further amber warning for “disruptive” gusts, which will now be active from 2pm today until midnight.
However, the more severe weather alert will affect mainly central and south Scotland and the north of England.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) have also issued a series of flood warnings, with SSEN moving to alert status ahead of Storm Dudley’s arrival.
Train cancellations as Storm Dudley hits Scotland
ScotRail has announced all rail services in the Central Belt will be cancelled from 4pm today to ensure customers’ safety as the latest blast of severe weather sweeps across Scotland.
However, services on the Far North, Kyle of Lochalsh, and Aberdeen to Inverness lines will continue to run as normal.
Additional teams will be deployed to various areas across the network throughout the next 24 hours to deal with potential damage to infrastructure and equipment.
With people advised to travel for essential purposes only, rail bosses have said it is “unlikely” they will provide alternative travel options this afternoon.
Speaking on Good Morning Scotland, ScotRail service delivery director David Simpson said: “The amber Met Office alert from 4pm poses a very real risk of debris and trees falling on railway lines, so for safety reasons we’ve taken the difficult decision to suspend services from that point.
⚠️ Scotland is expecting high winds later today as #StormDudley sweeps across the country. For that reason, and to keep our customers and staff as safe as we can, we are shutting down most of our train services from 1600 today. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/pHGQesD4Sf
— ScotRail (@ScotRail) February 16, 2022
“This is the fifth named storm this year and all the previous ones caused significant disruption, and we’re doing our best to minimise that and keep people moving, but always putting safety first.
“The balance is telling people early enough to make their plans but not doing it too early that the forecast changes.
“We have engineers on stand-by throughout the day and extra teams throughout the night to deal with any damage and provide the best possible service for tomorrow morning.
“We do expect some disruption tomorrow depending on the extent of the damage so the advice is to check the website, check the app, contact ScotRail and we’ll do our best to keep our customers in an informed position.”
Ferry services face disruption
Ferry crossings are also expected to endure the worst of the conditions with numerous crossings facing disruption or cancellation at short notice.
CalMac have issued a series of amendments to customers ahead of Storm Dudley, with Oban crossings facing a host of cancellations.
⚠️ YELLOW #Ullapool #Stornoway 16Feb Due to adverse weather the 1400 from Stornoway and the 1730 from Ullapool are liable to disruption or cancellation at short notice
— CalMac Service Info (@CalMac_Updates) February 16, 2022
Services from Oban to Colonsay, as well as to Castlebay, have been called off for the duration of the day on Wednesday, as forecasters predict wind speeds of 51mph.
Crossing between Mallaig and Lochboisdale have also been cancelled, while services between Mallaig and Armadale; Tobermory and Kilchoan; Ardmhor and Eriskay and Lochaline and Fishnish are facing delay or cancellation amidst the changing weather conditions.
‘Very challenging’ days ahead
Deputy First Minister John Swinney has warned Scots the coming days will be “very challenging” as a result of both Storm Dudley and Storm Eunice, which is expected to hammer the country on Friday.
Following a meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room last night, Mr Swinney said they would continue to monitor the situation as the storms approach.
He said: “We expect another period of disruption this week, with Storms Dudley and Eunice set to bring strong winds to Scotland.
Please see warnings on #StormDudley over the next few days. Please #StaySafe https://t.co/YVvARMXpvg
— John Swinney (@JohnSwinney) February 15, 2022
“High winds may cause issues on roads and bridges, disruption to power supplies and danger from falling trees. We would urge everyone to plan their journeys in advance, exercise caution on the roads, and follow the latest travel advice.”
On Twitter, Mr Swinney added: “Resilience meeting @scotgov just completed. The next few days will be very challenging with #StormDudley.
“Please see @ScotRail plans and follow advice there is a high risk of disruption to travel. Please #StaySafe.”
