Man Dies as Storms Batter Scotland, Causing Widespread Disruption
Two major storms leave 38,000 without power, trigger evacuations, and halt travel across the UK.
Sarah Connor
A 60-year-old man died on Sunday in Dumfries and Galloway after a falling tree struck him.
Emergency services raced to a flooded care home in Saltcoats, North Ayrshire. Dangerous buildings in Ayr and a caravan park in Ballantrae demanded immediate evacuation.
Travel infrastructure buckled under the strain. The A78 Shore Road between Skelmorlie and Largs in North Ayrshire closed due to storm damage.
Flooding and fallen trees crippled train journeys across Scotland. Network Rail crews discovered a trampoline and a shed on the tracks.
CalMac ferry services faced massive impact. Twenty-three out of 30 services saw disruption or cancellations by 10pm on Sunday.
Some flights diverted or cancelled at Leeds Bradford Airport. Several schools in Scotland shut down due to the storm.
Flooding devastated Dalmarnock, County Durham, and Largs, Ayrshire. The Tha-Tien-Thai restaurant in Largs claimed floodwater overran its kitchen, leaving nothing.
Disruption to travel is likely to continue into tomorrow and I strongly recommend people check official sources such as the Met Office, Traffic Scotland, transport operators and local authority channels before setting out.
Storm Austen brought strong winds to southern parts of the UK on Friday. Gusts reached 76mph in the Isles of Scilly.
Over the weekend, winds hit 85mph, accompanied by heavy downpours. The Environment Agency issued 10 flood warnings and 65 flood alerts in England.
Shirley-Anne Somerville stated, "Disruption to travel is likely to continue into tomorrow and I strongly recommend people check official sources such as the Met Office, Traffic Scotland, transport operators and local authority channels before setting out."
No further weather warnings for Scotland are in place for Monday. A yellow wind warning is active for Tuesday.
Shirley-Anne Somerville also warned, "While we expect some respite from the adverse weather during the day on Monday, there is a possibility of more severe weather conditions early on in the week and we urge everyone to continue to follow advice and heed any warnings."
If the atmosphere is ripe for storm, it tends to mean it’s ripe for a couple of storms, so it is a fairly common thing.
Craig Snell noted that storms often happen in quick succession. He added, "If the atmosphere is ripe for storm, it tends to mean it’s ripe for a couple of storms, so it is a fairly common thing."