Storm Bram to batter Scotland with 90mph winds and heavy rain

Storm Bram is to batter Scotland with wind gusts of up to 90mph.

The Met Office has issued an amber warning for wind that covers the Highlands, the Western Isles, and Argyll and Bute, which is set to come into place at 4pm on Tuesday until 11.59pm.

Yellow warnings are also in place for wind across much of the country until Wednesday.

Heavy rain is expected to move northwards throughout Scotland on Tuesday morning, accompanied by a yellow rain warning for central Scotland.

Forecasters warn a deep area of low pressure passing close to the west of Scotland could bring very strong southwesterly winds to west and northwest parts of the country.

Gusts of 70-80mph are expected, with a chance that a few places may experience gusts of up to 90mph.

The Met Office said the “disruptive” winds risk causing disruption to travel routes across rail, ferry and air, while also posing a damage risk to buildings and homes.

Forecasters are warning of a danger to life from flying debris, large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties.

The public has been warned to expect delays to public transport, particularly ferries, spray and flooding on roads, as well as potential power cuts and flooding in homes and businesses.

Members of the public are urged to stay safe in coastal areas and to be aware of large waves, while walkers are urged to stay back from cliffs and keep dogs on leads.

Rail passengers across Scotland are being warned to expect slower journeys and potential disruption as Storm Bram brings the risk of falling trees, debris and flooding to key routes.

Network Rail said the combination of severe winds and heavy rain could affect tracks and signalling infrastructure, with strong gusts capable of blowing trees onto the railway and saturated ground increasing the likelihood of flooding and landslips.

To keep passengers and staff safe, a series of speed restrictions will come into force from Tuesday and run into Wednesday. Among the measures:

• From early Tuesday morning: Reduced speeds on parts of the West Coast Main Line and routes between Glasgow, Ayrshire and Dumfries & Galloway due to heavy rain.
• From Tuesday afternoon: Restrictions on the Mallaig, Oban and West Highland lines, continuing into Wednesday morning.
• From Tuesday evening: Similar limits on the Far North Line and parts of the Highland Main Line and Aberdeen–Inverness route until early Wednesday.

Network Rail said its meteorologists are monitoring conditions closely, with inspections stepped up to identify hazards ahead of the storm. Additional teams, including chainsaw-trained staff, will be on standby to clear any fallen trees or debris from the tracks.

Once the worst of the weather passes, engineers will carry out safety checks across affected lines, supported by Network Rail Scotland’s helicopter to speed up inspections.

Ross Moran, Network Rail Scotland’s route director, said: “Storm Bram is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rain, which could disrupt the railway. Our top priority is keeping passengers and staff safe, and we’re already working hard behind the scenes to prepare.

“Teams are carrying out extra inspections and putting contingency plans in place, with staff ready to respond quickly to any damage throughout the storm.”

Regions and local authorities affected:

Highlands & Eilean Siar

• Na h-Eileanan Siar
• Highland

Strathclyde

• Argyll and Bute

Scotland is stuck in a mild but wet and windy Atlantic flow this week. There have been bouts of heavy rain moving north-eastwards, adding to rivers and puddles, but after the recent supermoon, there have been high spring tides and coastal flooding.

This will be followed by Storm Bram, which has been named by Met Éireann, the Irish Meteorological Service. It will bring more heavy rain on Tuesday morning.

This is the second named storm from the western naming group of UK, Ireland and the Met Office. Storm Amy was early in October and we have also seen Claudia which brought heavy rain to the UK. Claudia was named by the Spanish Met Service in a different southwest naming group.

Bram (as in Abraham) looks set to bring heavy rain from the south early on Tuesday. Much of mainland Scotland will see a grim Tuesday morning with heavy rain and blustery winds, although it will feel strangely mild in this southerly flow.

Don’t be fooled in northern Scotland early on Tuesday where there will be a calmer, drier start. The weather will deteriorate, especially for the Western Isles.

Depending on the track of Storm Bram it looks like the west coast of Ireland will see wild conditions by daytime and these should reach the west coast of Scotland by Tuesday afternoon.

The storm will then rage through Tuesday night for western Scotland with an amber wind warning for the Western Isles.

The wild weather will continue into Wednesday morning for the northwest and north of Scotland, particularly for the islands with a windy day across the mainland.

The winds will ease down as the storm slowly eases away northwards towards western Norway but it will take until Friday for calmer weather to arrive for Scotland.

A strong jet stream across the Atlantic is directing low pressures our way and helping to deepen some of them.

There has been cold air over North America, which brought snow to Washington on Friday as the World Cup fixtures were being announced.

There is still milder air over the mid-Atlantic and the stark temperature contrast helps strengthen the jet at this time of year.

Storm Bram will deepen rapidly on Tuesday as it moves northwards past western Ireland and then western Scotland.

The Inshore Waters forecast from the Met Office mentions severe gale force 9 winds, up to storm force 10, even violent storm force 11 around The Minch with very rough, even high seas. Expect ferry disruption.

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