A freak squall hit the Glenkens early on Monday leaving hundreds of homes temporarily without power and roads blocked by fallen trees.
Winds believed to be as strong as 80mph raked through the glen around 4.30am accompanied by a violent hailstorm and thunderstorms.
According to Balmaclellan meteorologist Roland Chaplain, “some very unstable air” aloft caused a high-energy squall line to develop.