THE Scottish Government has issued a warning after the Met Office put out an amber weather alert for this weekend.
Storm Darragh is set to hit the UK and Ireland late on Friday, leading to severe weather.
The Met Office has issued yellow warnings for wind and rain on Friday, which escalate to the more serious amber on Saturday.
The amber warning for wind covers Northern Ireland and much of the west coast of the UK, from Cornwall up to the Galloway coast and parts of South Ayrshire.
In the wake of the warning, the Scottish Government said that both the Transport Scotland Resilience Room and the Multi Agency Response Team will “be activated to monitor conditions”.
#StormDarragh has been named and is forecast to bring very strong winds and heavy rain to the UK later on Friday and through the weekend #WeatherAware ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/xqPH9hvqxs
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 5, 2024
It warned that power cuts were possible and road, rail, air and ferry services are all likely to be affected by the severe weather, as well as potential restrictions on bridges.
The strong winds could also lead to fallen trees, damage to buildings and power cuts.
Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “The Met Office is warning us to expect another period of disruption this weekend, with Storm Darragh set to bring strong winds to the south of Scotland. The south-west in particular will likely see the worst of the conditions.
“High winds will bring challenges for the trunk road network, so travellers should make sure they plan their journey in advance, drive to the conditions and follow Police Scotland travel advice.
“The Traffic Scotland website offers people the latest information on the trunk roads and the Traffic Scotland Twitter/X page is updated regularly.
“You can also find details of ‘wind-based’ closures for the bridges on the trunk road network, allowing you to check if your planned route is available.
“Other modes of transport are also likely to be affected, so if you are planning to travel by train, ferry or air, please check with your operator to make sure your service is still running.”
Chief Superintendent Hilary Sloan, head of road policing, said: “Drivers of vehicles vulnerable to being blown over should plan their route to avoid exposed areas, or consider delaying your journey until conditions improve.
“Plan ahead and keep updated by checking the Met Office and Traffic Scotland websites and social media.”
