Gale force winds, heavy rain, lightning and high seas are expected to batter the north tonight.
Storm Abigail – the UK’s first named storm – is expected to cause chaos across the region, with winds of more than 90mph forecast this evening.
The Met Office has upgraded the storm to an amber “be prepared” alert across the Western Isles, the north-west mainland and Orkney, with the worst to hit between 9pm and noon tomorrow.
Gale force winds of up to 80mph are widely expected across the affected area, with gusts of more than 90mph likely in exposed areas.
A yellow “be aware” warning is also in force for the rest of the Highlands and the north-east, including Inverness and Aberdeen, which is valid from 6pm tonight until 2pm tomorrow.
Winds here will be between 60mph to 70mph, with higher gusts expected in exposed areas.
A spokeswoman for the Met Office said that the weather would begin to deteriorate throughout today, with frequent heavy showers across the north which began last night.
CalMac has issued an early warning that there may be “major” disruption due to seas “too treacherous to sail in” during the storm.
NorthLink ferries has said that its services will be kept under review.
Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gunderson said: “In terms of impact, the Western Isles, north of Scotland and Orkney could see winds of 90mph with potential impacts upon transport and maybe power supplies too.
“We could see quite a lot of lightning as well and high tides, so with that in mind we have upgraded to amber.”
CalMac operations director Drew Collier has urged travellers to “think carefully” if planning to visit the west coast.
The ferry operator are expecting swells of up to 36ft because of the storm.
Mr Collier said: “There is a clear warning that major weather related disruption to ferry services on the Clyde and Hebrides routes is likely later this week so I would urge people to factor this in when making travel plans.
“The sea conditions we are expecting could well be too treacherous to sail in.”
The Scottish Government’s resilience team have been monitoring the developing storm and have also urged people to consider the conditions before travelling.
Transport minister Derek Mackay said: “We know from past experience that winds of this severity can disrupt travel, leading to cancelled ferries and restrictions, or even temporary closures, on bridges.
“The gale force winds will also make conditions particularly difficult for high-sided vehicles and hauliers should be planning ahead now.
“Key utilities like power and telecoms can also be impacted by the kinds of conditions forecast and people should try to ensure that they are prepared for possible disruption – this includes checking on the elderly and vulnerable.”
Emergency services across the north are also primed for possible problems, including power cuts which could be cause by the strong winds and lightning.
The Met Office launched a public appeal to name storms which have the potential to cause a substantial impact in the UK and Ireland earlier this year.
Abigail is the first on the list of winning names, followed by Barney, Clodagh, Desmond, Eva, Frank, Gertrude, Henry, Imogen, Jake, Katie, Lawrence, Mary, Nigel, Orla, Phil, Rhonda, Steve, Tegan, Vernon and Wendy.