Storm Amy continues to batter Scotland with fresh amber warnings issued for Saturday as the country faces more severe disruption following widespread chaos on Friday night. The north of Scotland now faces a new amber alert for "damaging" winds with gusts exceeding 90mph expected in some areas.
Most of Scotland, except the east coast, remains under a yellow warning for rain whilst a yellow wind alert covers the entire UK. The Scottish Government has urged people to delay travel where possible and check ahead before heading out.
Major incidents and infrastructure damage
A building collapsed in Glasgow on Friday, falling onto a car and leading to road closures in the city centre. The Forth Road Bridge was shut to all traffic as Storm Amy brought unprecedented disruption across Scotland.
Power cuts struck the Highlands and islands - the areas experiencing some of the worst weather conditions. Road closures impacted drivers throughout the region as emergency services responded to multiple incidents.
Transport network severely affected
Network Rail reported that Storm Amy hit parts of the country much harder and more quickly than predicted. The transport organisation experienced over 60 incidents during the first two hours of the storm, including flooding, trees falling onto overhead lines and debris on tracks.
"The safety of passengers and colleagues is priority, which is why all services to and from Glasgow Central have been suspended at this time," Network Rail said. The organisation has crews surveying damage where safe to do so and expects some disruption to continue into Saturday morning.
Met Office warns of continued severe conditions
The Met Office explained that south to south-westerly winds increased during Friday, initially in the west before extending eastwards through Friday night. Gusts of 50-60mph are likely in many areas, potentially reaching 60-70mph in more exposed parts.
"The strongest winds are most likely across portions of northern and western Scotland, where gusts in excess of 90 mph are possible," the Met Office said. Heavy rain accompanies the strong winds, creating difficult driving conditions especially for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes.
Extended warnings into weekend
Sunday will see continued yellow wind warnings for the north, north east, Orkney and Shetland Islands until 9am that morning. Winds will ease for most parts through Saturday afternoon but remain very strong for the Northern Isles and far north of Scotland through Saturday's end.
The Met Office forecasts that conditions will slowly ease overnight Saturday, though the storm's impact continues to cause significant disruption across transport networks and infrastructure.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
