Winds of up to 75mph that battered parts of the northern Highlands yesterday will be followed by heavy snowfall in many areas today, according to forecasters.
Swathes of the north will get up to six inches of snow at low levels and about a foot above 1,000ft, leading to further travel disruption.
Rail services were delayed yesterday after an Aberdeen-Inverness train hit a fallen tree. The drama, near Inverurie in Aberdeenshire, involved the 10.13am service. The train suffered a smashed windscreen and engine failure.
There was a yellow, west and northwesterly severe gale warning in place most of yesterday, from the Western Isles to the Moray Firth including Orkney and southern Shetland.
The Churchill Barriers on Orkney were closed for a period due to the strong winds.
Many ferry serices were disrupted. On CalMac routes, there were delays on the Oban-Castlebay, Barra, service. Strong winds also affected the Oban-Colonsay-Port Askaig-Kennacraig route.
Its sailings to Colonsay will not operate from Oban today but Kennacraig/Islay instead.
Yesterday’s NorthLink Ferries’ early Stromness and Scrabster crossings were cancelled due to the gales.
Orkney Council’s ferry services – the MV Eynhallow and MV Shapinsay – also suffered major disruption.
The Met Office has forecast heavy snow today as a result of Storm Doris.
Spokesman Grahame Madge said: “Storm Doris will be developing on Thursday and taking a more southerly track. We have an amber warning for central southern parts of Britain, along a corridor from Wales to East Anglia.
“We have an amber warning for snow, suggesting there’ll be heavy accumulations quite widely in the Highlands, the central belt and Strathclyde. Expect a foot of snow on hills above 1,000ft.”
Winds in the north will ease today but it is still likely to be breezy. Further showers are forecast for tomorrow and into the weekend.
A spokesman for power firm SSE said: “We’re not expecting any impact from Storm Doris – that’s expected to hit further south.
“It would be wrong for us to rule anything out as the weather can be so changeable. But whilst we’re clearly monitoring the weather, as we always do, if we feel we need to move resources we’ll do so.”
The Scottish Government is coordinating a transport plan to deal with extreme conditions and Transport Minister Humza Yousaf urged motorists to be “mindful that disruption is likely and to plan accordingly.”
