Travel chaos as Storm Isha brings strong winds amid amber weather alert

Storm Isha’s arrival has brought strong winds and a risk to life with gusts of up to 85mph.

The Met Office issued a fresh amber weather warning as conditions turn increasingly windy on Sunday.

The alert comes into place at 6pm on Sunday evening and will last until 6am on Monday.

Gusts reaching 65-75mph are expected widely, and even 80-85mph gusts over parts of west and northern Scotland.

The agency said there is a chance that injuries and “danger to life” could occur from flying debris.

Scots have been urged to check road conditions and timetables before travelling as services may be affected with longer journey times and cancellations.

The Forth Road Bridge has been closed to double-decker buses, motorcycles, vehicles with trailers, cyclists and pedestrians due to winds exceeding 50mph.

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Network Rail has already announced that they will be ending all services early as the amber warning reaches it’s peak on Sunday evening.

A spokesperson for ScotRail said following the closure there will be no services on the routes from 7pm until they have been checked on Monday – which may not be until later in the day for some lines.

Network Rail previously confirmed that speed restrictions would be in place for some running services, and advised passengers to check their journey before travelling.

The rail provider has lifted all ticket restrictions on ScotRail services, meaning tickets dated January 21, will be accepted for travel on January 22 and 23.

CalMac has also cancelled a number of services across the weekend with more expected at the alert comes into place.

Corran Ferry has cancelled all their services as of 4.50pm on Sunday evening due as weather conditions continue to get worse.

Edinburgh and Glasgow airport activity has been disrupted due to Storm Isha as severe weather warnings kick in across the island.

Angus Council has confirmed that all scheduled bin collections are cancelled, and recycling centres will be closed on Monday.

The Met Office warned that some areas may experience power cuts and mobile coverage may also be affected by the blustery conditions.

This is the ninth named storm since the storm naming season began in September, and the second of 2024 after Storm Henk at the start of January.

The chaotic conditions are set to condition into Tuesday and Wednesday when yellow weather warnings for wind are set to come into place.

The Met Office alert currently covers the whole of Scotland except the Shetland Islands and will come into place around 4pm on Tuesday until 12pm on Wednesday.

The warnings come after a week of arctic conditions throughout Scotland which has seen the closure of multiple schools.

Amid the snowy conditions people in the northern Highlands, Orkney and Shetland have been urged not to travel amid “extremely challenging” road conditions.

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