Christmas travel disruption: 80 mph winds as ferries canceled and roads closed

Travel across Scotland has been disrupted by road closures, canceled ferry services and the identification of an unsafe building in Glasgow.

Scotland is facing strong winds, snow, sleet and hail just days before Christmas.

With gusts up to 80 mph over the weekend, conditions could worsen and see the fifth named storm of the season.

An initial yellow weather warning for strong winds has been extended by the Met Office to the whole of the mainland, Orkney and the Western Isles.

Met Office

The alert comes into effect from 7am on Saturday December 21 and will remain in effect until midnight.

A second yellow alert is in effect on Sunday, covering most of the country. Forecasters also warned that the wind could turn into hail, sleet and snow over the weekend.

Met Office

A section of the A9 was closed for more than 12 hours overnight after a collision involving two vehicles, while police dealt with a second crash on another section of the main road.

Emergency services were called to a two-car crash between Brora and Golspie in Doll at around 6.10pm on Thursday.

The northbound and southbound carriageways were closed before being reopened shortly before 9 a.m. Friday.

Police are also dealing with a one-vehicle crash on the A9 near Inshes, Inverness, which occurred at around 2am on Friday.

A number of CalMac ferry services were canceled on Friday due to strong winds on the roads, including from Oban, Ardrossan and Brodick.

In Glasgow city center, several streets were closed on Friday after a dangerous building was identified.

Local authorities confirmed that a section of the city’s Argyle, Queen and Mitchell streets was closed after the danger was discovered on Queen Street and reopened around 11am.

Drivers are also advised to use caution when crossing the A9000 Forth Road Bridge and the A92 Tay Road Bridge due to strong winds currently affecting conditions.

Very strong westerly winds are expected to develop throughout Saturday with gusts of 65 to 75 mph in the Highlands, Orkney and Shetland and 50 to 60 mph elsewhere.

Forecasters say there is a small chance gusts of up to 80 mph could occur in the Highlands region.

Hazardous coastal conditions are expected with large waves.

“Plan your Christmas trip in advance”

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Travelers are being urged to plan their trips over Christmas and New Year, after a yellow weather warning for wind was issued by the Met Office.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to use the transport network for their Christmas getaway in the coming days.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “We know the transport network is busier than usual at this time of year, particularly in the last weekend before Christmas as people travel to spend time with their loved ones.

“By planning your trip before you go, you can be sure to arrive at the festivities on time.

“If you are driving, make sure your vehicle is winter ready and follow any Police Scotland travel advice that may be in place. Traffic Scotland provides up-to-date travel information on the national road network via its website, X Account and internet radio broadcasts.

“The same advice applies to other modes of transport: if you plan to travel by train, plane or ferry, keep in touch with your operator for the latest information on the service.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the staff across our transport network who are working around the clock to help keep Scotland moving over the festive period. The last few weeks have given us a real insight into the impact winter weather can have on travel plans. Their hard work and dedication are therefore greatly appreciated.

When the Met Office issues warnings a few days in advance, it usually means we need to sit up and take notice.

This is the case with the current wind warnings for Saturday and Sunday, which predict gusts of 50 to 60 mph across the country.

This is due to a deep area of ​​low pressure moving east between Scotland and Iceland, bringing widespread gales.

The strongest wind gusts will occur all day Saturday in the northern part of the country, with possible gusts of 60 to 80 mph.

Alongside the strong winds, we will also see frequent showers which will increasingly turn into hail, sleet and snow over the weekend – particularly overnight from Saturday to Sunday, with the slight risk that some snow will lower levels – but the majority will be sideways. hills before the return of milder air on Monday to begin Christmas week.

There are currently no plans to qualify the depression as a storm, but the Met Office is keeping an eye on the situation over the next 24 hours.

If it were to be named, it would be Storm Éowyn, our fifth named storm of the season.