Europa Wire
The Met Office said gusts of up to 65mph (105km/h) would hit coastal communities in the south-west on Monday evening and into the morning. Forecasters added strong winds would be accompanied by heavy rain at certain points. The latest weather system is unlikely to be as widely disruptive as Storm Boelo - or Storm Austen which came before it - and has so far not been named.
The next name on the storm list for the 2026/2027 season is Chloe. Storm Boelo brought heavy flooding and wind gusts in some areas of up to 85mph (137km/h) on Monday. A 60-year-old man died after being struck by a falling tree at Mid Kelton, near Castle Douglas, in Dumfries and Galloway on Sunday.
On Monday evening, Scottish and Southern Energy Networks (SSEN), which covers the north of Scotland, said work was ongoing to reconnect the supplies of about 15,000 homes that remained without power. Meanwhile, Scottish Power Energy Networks (Spen) said all but a "very small number" of its 50,000 customers who lost power in Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway would have it restored by 02:00 on Tuesday. Almost 100,000 homes had power restored in both areas across the weekend.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said it had put an amber risk of flooding in place for the northern and Western Isles and Caithness and Sutherland. Sepa said areas of the southwest and Argyll, including the Solway Firth and Firth of Clyde, would experience volatile conditions, with large waves and strong winds. They said flooding of low-lying land was likely.
Highland Council said flood gates on the mile-long Caol and Lochyside flood protection scheme, near Fort William, had been closed following a warning from Sepa. Police Scotland said a high risk of disruption remained with poor weather conditions expected on Tuesday. Police Scotland Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland said that, although the amber weather warning was no longer in place, disruption was "likely well beyond that due to further poor weather, fallen trees and other damage caused by the storm".
Social Justice and Housing Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville told BBC Scotland News there were "challenges ahead" due to the prolonged nature of the conditions. She urged councils to review their readiness, adding authorities were working to ensure that "everything that can be done is being done". Somerville also said that everyone can play a part by getting "households as resilient as we can, as well as looking after neighbours and friends".
Source: BBC
