John Swinney has warned Scots the coming days will be “very challenging” as a result of two storms set to batter the country.
The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning active from 4pm on Wednesday across central and south Scotland and the north of England, with gusts potentially hitting 90 miles per hour.
The amber warning is due to expire at midnight on Wednesday, when it will be downgraded to a yellow warning until 6am on Thursday.
Storm Dudley is due to be followed by Storm Eunice later this week, which could bring snow.
The Deputy First Minister said the weather could cause disruption to travel and power supplies as well as danger from falling trees.
“We expect another period of disruption this week, with Storms Dudley and Eunice set to bring strong winds to Scotland,” he said.
“High winds may cause issues on roads and bridges, disruption to power supplies and danger from falling trees. We would urge everyone to plan their journeys in advance, exercise caution on the roads, and follow the latest travel advice.”
Following a meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room, the Deputy First Minister said they would continue to monitor the situation as the storms approach.
On Twitter, Mr Swinney added: “Resilience meeting @scotgov just completed. The next few days will be very challenging with #StormDudley.
“Please see @ScotRail plans and follow advice there is a high risk of disruption to travel. Please #StaySafe.”
ScotRail also announced that services in areas threatened by severe weather would end at 4pm on Wednesday for safety reasons.
“Scotland is bracing itself for Storm Dudley tomorrow,” the rail operator said on Twitter.
“The welfare of our customers and staff is most important, so for safety reasons most ScotRail train services will shut down from 1600 on Wednesday.”
Services in the far north, Kyle of Lochalsh, and Aberdeen-Inverness lines will continue to run as usual because the areas are outside the boundaries of the weather warning.
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