Storm Eowyn: 40,000 without power and train lines closed amid 'difficult' clear up

Weather warnings for wind, snow and ice remain in place across Scotland after life-threatening hurricane-force Storm Eowyn swept across the country causing injury, destruction and leaving more than 100,000 homes without power.

Dangerous gusts of 100mph wreaked havoc across Scotland, felling trees, tearing roofs from buildings and sending debris hurtling through the air.

The storm brought the most intense weather in recent history, with record-breaking wind speeds in places.

NASA Worldview

More than 100,000 homes across Scotland were left without power heading into Friday night.

SP Energy Networks has continued to restore power throughout the day with over 192,000 customers back on supply and 28,000 customers currently without power.

Over 200,000 properties have been affected since the start of the storm. SP Energy Networks has taken 52,000 calls so far; the equivalent of a month’s calls each day.

SSEN said that as of 11.30am, 75,000 customers had been reconnected, and work was in progress to restore supplies to around 14,000 more.

The main areas affected are large parts of Argyll and the Kintyre peninsula, southern Perthshire and the Trossachs.

The vast majority of ScotRail routes remain closed after 400 individual incidents were discovered by Network Rail including multiple trees on tracks, damaged overhead wires, power supply failures and other objects on the line.

Some lines, including Perth- Inverness, Inverness – Elgin, Inverness – Aberdeen, Dundee – Aberdeen, Perth – Dundee, Edinburgh – Tweedbank, Edinburgh – Dunbar, and Drem – Edinburgh, have been reopened.

ScotRail said it hopes to operate more services as the day goes on but warned significant disruption will continue for the rest of Saturday and into Sunday.

Some lines have managed to reopen, including Perth- Inverness, Inverness – Elgin, Inverness – Aberdeen, Dundee – Aberdeen, Perth – Dundee, Edinburgh – Tweedbank, Edinburgh – Dunbar, and Drem – Edinburgh.

Network Rail said a roof on the train line would prevent services from running to and from Glasgow Queen Street High Level while engineers estimate it will take at least 24 hours to repair the three areas of overhead wire damage south of Carstairs.

Damage to signal boxes, train depots, the railway’s boundary fencing, and car parks has been discovered at many locations.

First Minister John Swinney activated Scotland’s emergency crisis response contingency SGoRR and warned it “will not be a quick return to normal”.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, the First Minister asked for “patience” while the work to restore services affected by the storm was carried out.

“After the significant impact of Storm Eowyn, work is underway to restore power supplies and transport networks,” he said.

“It will take some time to complete and I appeal for the patience of the public.

“Power company staff and our public servants are working at speed to restore services”.

Met Office

Glasgow & West

Watch driver’s near-miss as tree falls onto road amid Storm Eowyn

A video from the scene shows cars turning the corner as the tree begins to fall with one car covered by the branches on the road.

Glasgow & West

Watch as tree almost falls on police officers amid Storm Eowyn damage

Police in the video can be seen assessing the damage with a car seemingly stuck under branches before a second tree begins to fall.

Edinburgh & East

Watch as pilot lands plane in hurricane-force Storm Eowyn

The Ryanair plane which had flown from Budapest could be seen swaying during its touchdown.

Glasgow & West

Man in hospital after van impaled by falling tree during Storm Eowyn emergency call-out

Police were called to Balmore Road at around 9.05am after the incident unfolded.

Glasgow & West

Front of M&S supermarket torn off by Storm Eowyn winds

The Marks and Spencer foodhall is due to open to customers at 6pm this evening.

Schools and supermarkets were closed across Scotland on Friday. Hospitals across the Central Belt cancelled outpatient appointments and non-urgent care.

Police urged drivers to avoid unnecessary journeys and to delay travel plans until conditions improve.

Officers responded to around 1,900 weather-related incidents across the country on Friday related to the storm.

While most main roads are open, a large number of local routes across the country remain closed or disrupted due to debris and fallen trees, which continue to cause issues.

Drivers have been urged to use alternative routes and not to put themselves at risk by trying to clear debris.

The M80 is closed at junction 8 to 9 in both directions due to an electrical fire.

One person was taken to hospital following a one-car crash on the A81 in Glasgow while a man suffered a head injury after his work van became impaled by a fallen tree.

A leisure centre – which only opened two years ago – worth £22m in Helensburgh suffered extensive damage.

A wall collapsed at a Co-op in Denny, and the storm tore off the front of an M&S shop in Irvine.

Erskine Bridge remains closed in both directions.

ScotRail suspended all train services on Friday while CalMac cancelled all ferry sailings.

More than 200 flights were cancelled across Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen airports.

An ancient tree with links to Mary Queen of Scots was badly damaged in Glasgow.

Glasgow & West

Ancient tree with links to Mary Queen of Scots damaged during Storm Eowyn

The Darnley Sycamore is believed to date back over 400 years.

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