More Bad Weather Hits Scotland
30 January 2016, 08:30 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50
Scotland's facing snow and more strong winds as bad weather continues to grip the country.
Yesterday many parts were battered by Storm Gertrude with gusts of up to 144mph.
Met Office amber "be prepared" warnings are in place for most of the country for wind and snow on Saturday.
A spokesman said: "Frequent snow showers are expected overnight and well into Saturday, heavy at times, with some more prolonged spells of snow likely.
"Five to 10cm snowfall is likely to accumulate quite widely, with over 15cm in places above 300 metres. Ice is also likely to form on untreated surfaces.
"In addition, gusts of 50-60mph are likely at times, occasionally 70mph across the far north and west of the amber area and over mountains. This will lead to blizzard conditions at times and drifting of snow.
"Power supplies may be disrupted by ice accretion and also by lightning strikes, with hail also likely.
"Be prepared for transport disruption, difficult driving conditions and disruption to power supplies.''
The continuing misery comes a day after Storm Gertrude's gales disrupted transport, brought down power lines and damaged buildings.
A rare red Met Office alert was in place for Orkney and Shetland during some of Friday amid wild conditions in the Northern Isles.
Gusts of 105mph were recorded in Shetland on Friday afternoon, while parts of the mainland saw speeds of 60-80mph.
Winds reached 144mph in the Cairngorm mountains, and nacreous clouds, usually seen in polar regions, were also spotted in the north-east of Scotland.
Thousands of homes were left without power in Scotland and Northern Ireland after airborne debris and lightning brought down overhead lines and poles.
Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution restored supplies to 14,000 customers over the course of Friday, but said its engineers had been hampered by flooding and the high winds.
Friday's storm saw a man in Edinburgh treated in hospital after he was struck by flying debris, flats evacuated in Clydebank when scaffolding was blown through a roof, and a lorry blown on to a car on the A96 in Aberdeenshire.
In Northern Ireland, the storm blew a pet rabbit up on to a roof in Omagh, Co Tyrone.
All schools in the Northern and Western Isles were closed and train and ferry services were vastly reduced.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has dozens of flood warnings in place across the country, while south of the border the Environment Agency is urging communities in southern England and parts of the North to stay alert to the risk of renewed flooding over the weekend.
Neil Davies, national flood duty manager, said: "Teams from the Environment Agency will be out over the weekend continuing their work to check and repair flood defences as well as clearing watercourses and offering help and advice to communities still recovering from the impacts of flooding over Christmas.
"Strong winds combined with high tides could lead to large waves and spray especially for the Yorkshire coast and parts of southern and western coasts. We advise anyone near coastal paths and promenades to take extra care and to avoid the temptation to go 'wave watching'."
