Storm Floris batters UK with winds over 80mph

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Damage and disruption as Storm Floris crashes into UK

Travel disruption is expected to continue on Tuesday after Storm Floris battered parts of the country with 80mph winds.

Scotland bore the brunt of the bad weather with some 43,500 homes without power on Monday night. Planes, trains and ferries were cancelled amid warnings of a "threat to life".

Network Rail Scotland said it was working to remove debris and trees from routes following the "unprecedented" storm.

An amber warning was place to 23:00 BST for most of Scotland, as well as a yellow warning that also covers northern England, north Wales and Northern Ireland.

Storm Floris is the sixth named storm of the 2024/25 season and the first since January.

Wick in the Highlands saw winds of 82mph, the strongest gusts recorded since Storm Floris struck on Monday.

Some mountain locations saw wind gusts over 100mph, but meteorologists focus on sites where very strong gusts are less usual and likely to have more impact.

There were reports of trees and campervans toppling over in the hardest hit areas.

Events including the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo and shows at Fringe by the Sea in North Berwick were also cancelled.

The yellow warning will remain in place for the Northern Isles off the north coast of Scotland until 08:00 on Tuesday, and 23:59 on Monday for all other areas.

On Tuesday the weather will be less windy but still blustery with showers across northern and central areas.

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Passengers in Scotland have been warned disruption to the rail network is likely to continue into Tuesday.

Ross Moran, Network Rail Scotland's route director, said: "Our teams have been working tirelessly to keep services moving where possible and to clear fallen trees and debris from the tracks.

"Our teams will work through the night, but this work will continue into Tuesday morning."

It comes after Lner warned passengers not to travel north of Newcastle on Monday. Customers with tickets can use them until Wednesday.

Scottish ferry operator CalMac issued a series of cancellation warnings and warned of disruption across its network.

Most of Scotland's major road bridges closed to high-sided vehicles and motorists were urged to slow down in poor weather and avoid exposed Highland and coastal routes.

Several shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival were cancelled as a "precautionary" measure, and flights were cancelled in Northern Ireland due to the storm.

Meanwhile, postal services were affected by Floris meaning that some students in Scotland will have to wait until Tuesday to receive their SQA exam results.

Strong winds hit the coastal town of Largs in North Ayrshire

Angela Constance, the Scottish secretary for home affairs, encouraged people to check on elderly or vulnerable neighbours during the storm, and warned those travelling on Monday to view it as "a winter journey" and take warm clothes.

Jim Dale, a meteorologist and founder of independent forecaster British Weather Services, warned those in areas affected by the warnings: "If you are venturing out, keep away from the forest, keep away from the woods, keep off the coastal plain."

Named storms in August are not that rare, with five taking place since 2020.

Last year, Storm Lilian struck the UK on 23 August just before the bank holiday weekend, closing stages at the Leeds Festival and cancelling Heathrow flights.

Storms Antoni and Betty brought disruption in 2023, while storms Ellen and Francis in 2020 were described as "two of the most notable August storms in the last 50 years" by the Met Office.

These two storms brought wind gusts of 79mph and 81mph respectively with transport disruption, coastal flooding and power cuts.

The storm follows the UK's fifth warmest July on record, according to provisional figures from the Met Office.

All four UK nations recorded one of their 10 warmest Julys, and July was the sixth consecutive month of above-average mean temperatures for the UK, the Met Office said.

The first day of the month brought the highest temperature of the year so far, with 35.8C in Faversham, Kent.