Travel disruption is continuing after amber and red warnings at the height of Storm Isha, with all ScotRail trains suspended until after the morning rush-hour.
Many ferry services have been cancelled and roads are closed after the storm swept the UK, with one gust of 81mph recorded at Prestwick in Ayrshire.
Police have urged people to avoid travel unless “absolutely necessary” due to high winds and disruption.
A rare red “danger to life” warning of wind was in force in northern Scotland until 5am on Monday, while an amber warning of wind for the whole country was lifted at 6am.
A Met Office yellow warning of strong wind remains in force until midday, with warnings of gusts of 50mph-60mph inland and up 80mph in exposed coastal areas.
ScotRail suspended services at 7pm on Sunday and said there will be no rush-hour services on Monday morning.
The company said each route will have to undergo a safety inspection on Monday, meaning it will be later on before any trains can run.
ℹ️STORM ISHA UPDATE - MON 22 JAN.
— ScotRail (@ScotRail) January 22, 2024
There are currently NO ScotRail services running following Storm Isha. This is for safety reasons. We'll keep our app, website and JourneyCheck page (https://t.co/J1m2DnhAEG) fully updated so please check them regularly for updates. https://t.co/VU4A9kkYhh pic.twitter.com/Jv824wyKMc
ScotRail customer operations director Phil Campbell said: “We know the impact that the withdrawal of train services will have on customers, but our first priority is always to ensure the safety of staff and passengers – and this is a necessary step to ensure everyone’s safety during the severe weather.
“Our colleagues at Network Rail Scotland will be working flat out through the night and into the morning to carry out safety checks, and assess what repairs are required to reopen the railway.
“However, customers will be unable to travel early Monday morning, as trains will not be able to operate until the infrastructure has been made safe.”
Speaking later on BBC Radio Scotland, he said it will be late morning at the earliest before any trains can run.
He told the programme: “It will be late morning and into the afternoon before we see routes reopening.”
High winds can blow trees and other large objects, like trampolines, tents and even sheds can be blown on to the railway - so we need to check for damage after storms to keep everyone safe. pic.twitter.com/AnlGvxLfFT
— Network Rail Scotland (@NetworkRailSCOT) January 22, 2024
Network Rail Scotland said it has at least 10 trees to remove from the railway between Garrowhill and Easterhouse on Monday morning, and there has been “significant damage” to overhead wires, which need to be repaired.
Elsewhere, the remains of a garden shed has been found on the line at Bellgrove station in Glasgow.
Police warned people to expect disruption.
Police Scotland tweeted: “Due to the amount of debris caused by #StormIsha, short-notice road closures, localised flooding and other issues are expected, in addition to the high winds.
“As a result, the police advice is to avoid travel – travel only if absolutely necessary.”
Roads including the M9 and the A1 were among those affected by closures while some bridges were shut to high-sided vehicles.
Due to the amount of debris caused by #StormIsha, short notice road closures, localised flooding and other issues are expected, in addition to the high winds. As a result, the police advice is to ⛔Avoid Travel⛔, travel only if absolutely necessary.
— Road Policing Scotland (@PSOSRoads) January 22, 2024
Many Caledonian MacBrayne ferry services were also disrupted or cancelled due to the weather conditions, while NorthLink ferries warned services may be affected.
On Sunday evening, a flight travelling from Sharm el Sheikh to Glasgow Airport declared an emergency due to Storm Isha.
A spokesman for Glasgow Airport said the Tui flight was “diverted to Manchester due to current weather conditions”.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has issued 51 flood warnings and 17 flood alerts around the country.
After a top gust of 99mph overnight, #StormIsha is now moving away
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 22, 2024
However, it remains windy this morning with a yellow warning out for all until midday
Expect some disruption this Monday morning ⚠️ https://t.co/ejWfF75qOP
Ashleigh Robson, head of transport resilience at Transport Scotland, said: “The advice from Police Scotland is to expect a high risk of disruption across Scotland.
“Transport Scotland and our partners have well-established plans in place and our resilience operation is in full effect, feeding into wider Scottish Government resilience structures – but disruption across the network is anticipated.”
A further yellow warning for wind for Scotland, Northern Ireland, north Wales and northern England is active from 4pm on Tuesday until noon on Wednesday.
The Met Office said the highest recorded wind speed during Storm Isha was 99mph at Brizlee Wood in Northumberland.
