Storm chaos looms for Christmas travellers

A FEROCIOUS storm is set to ravage Scotland and bring chaos to thousands of travellers and shoppers as the Christmas break begins.

The bad weather has caused flooding in the borders The bad weather has caused flooding in the borders [ ]

Gales of up to 90mph were due to rip into the country early today, with hurricane-force gusts of 100mph threatening to batter coastal regions in other parts of Britain.

Met Office forecasters have issued severe weather warnings for wind and rain across huge swathes of the country today and tomorrow  with snow alerts in place for the Highlands and Grampian areas. Frost and ice are expected first thing this morning, with the Borders prone to further flooding due to very heavy rainfall, which caused flash flooding in Jedburgh at the weekend.

Plunging temperatures are expected to trigger wintry showers, with several inches of snow likely on high ground.

Experts warned blizzards will cripple roads and transport networks in the hours before Christmas.

Wind speeds are expected to increase this evening as a deep area of low pressure starts to track up the west coast of Scotland.

Gales of up to 90mph are forecast for The Minches, the stretch of water separating the north west highlands from the Inner Hebrides, and the wind speeds could reach 100mph in some coastal areas, it is feared.

Inland, gusts of 70mph are possible for much of Scotland and even in the central belt speeds of 60mph can be widely expected.

Travel on Christmas Eve will be particularly difficult as bridges could be affected by severe gale force winds and routes could be blocked by fallen trees.

Network Rail added that the weather conditions are likely to affect the southern half of the East Coast route network today. Speed restrictions are expected to be in force on the route.

A yellow warning of severe weather from The Met Office predicts “significant disruption to travel”.

Weather Channel forecasters have warned that an inch of rain could fall today in the Southern Borders.

blizzards will cripple roads and transport networks in the hours before Christmas

Forecasters predicted that tomorrow will see the country blighted with even more extreme weather.

Dave Clark, of the Met Office in Aberdeen, said: “Christmas Eve is going to be wild, there’s no question about that.

“Bridges and the roads will feel the worst effects. The usual pinch points where we see disruption due to high winds will be vulnerable and these speeds are strong enough to bring down trees and branches.”

Last night, ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne began cancelling services in anticipation of atrocious conditions over the next 48 hours.

An emergency ferry had to be despatched to a Hebridean island before a heavy storm cuts it off over Christmas. The ferry was departing for Barra at midnight, with a number of lorries packed with consignments for local shops on board. Caledonian MacBrayne organised the special sailing to make sure festive supplies and essential goods reach Castlebay early today.

A CalMac spokesman warned: “Disruptions or even cancellations are a strong possibility on this service on Monday and Tuesday.”

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency had four flood alerts in place last night, plus eight more severe flood warnings, mostly relating to rivers in Perth and Kinross.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Local services are leading the response to flooding overnight in Jedburgh. Minister for Environment Paul Wheelhouse spoke with SEPA and Borders Council last night to get an update on the situation and service response.”

The extreme conditions are also likely to cause chaos on the roads with 13 million people across the UK expected to travel between Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

The AA warned people to allow more time for journeys and allow for difficult driving conditions.

Spokesman Gavin Hill-Smith said: “People should keep an eye on forecasts and reports and be sensible on the roads.

“With high winds there is a chance of debris on the roads, and ice could also be an issue. Make allowances for the roads to be busy.”

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