Photo Credit: Enrique / Pixabay
Scotland’s battening down the hatches again as Storm Bram lines up to give the country a proper doing, with gusts up to 90mph and a wall of rain ready to make Tuesday and Wednesday miserable for anybody who needs to leave the house.
The Met Office has slapped an amber wind warning on the north-west from 4pm until midnight on Tuesday, with 70–80mph gusts expected and the odd 90mph thump for good measure. Bram comes courtesy of Met Éireann, who clearly woke up and chose violence.
The rest of the country isn’t getting off lightly either, with yellow warnings stretching across Scotland for both wind and rain. In short: if it’s outdoors, it’s going to get battered.
The storm is only the second named one of the season, following Storm Amy in October, which already managed to plunge thousands into darkness and send travel plans to their maker. Bram looks keen to keep the tradition alive, with the Met Office warning of more power cuts, flooding, travel chaos and the usual mix of trains, planes and ferries deciding they “cannae be bothered”.
SEPA has issued a dozen flood alerts covering huge swathes of the country, from Argyll and Bute to Orkney and Dumfries and Galloway. Coastal areas are being warned about big waves and a storm surge mixing with spring tides — a classic recipe for “aye, that’ll be flooded”.
BBC Scotland’s Kirsteen Macdonald says the west coast’s in for the worst of it, with very high winds, big waves, and rain heavy enough to ruin anybody’s commute. Parts of Scotland could see 20–30mm of rain falling in just a few hours, with up to 40mm over higher ground. Expect spray, surface water, and drivers pretending they can still see where the road is.
Travel? Aye, that’ll be a shambles.
CalMac’s already warning of cancellations before the storm even arrives. Network Rail says to check your train journey — partly for safety reasons, partly because they just love telling folk to check their journey. Speed restrictions will hit major routes across the west, Highlands and north, with more slapped on through Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.
Rail bosses say they’re working flat out to prepare. Translation: they’ve tied the bins down and are crossing their fingers.
Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop says the whole country’s going to feel this one, especially the north-west and Western Isles, and folk should plan ahead. If you must travel, leave early. If you don’t, maybe put the kettle on and watch other people’s travel updates fall apart online.
In the Western Isles, the council says school buses in Uist are off on Tuesday — but schools will still be open. Whether anyone actually turns up is another question.
