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Scotland weather: Parts of country hit by severe gales Scotland weather: Country battered by severe gales
(about 1 hour later)
Severe gales and heavy rain are affecting parts of Scotland with gusts of 60-70mph in some areas.Severe gales and heavy rain are affecting parts of Scotland with gusts of 60-70mph in some areas.
Large waves caused by the very strong winds are likely to lead to overtopping on exposed western coastlines.
A number of ferry services on the west coast have been cancelled and Traffic Scotland warned drivers of crosswinds and falling trees and debris.A number of ferry services on the west coast have been cancelled and Traffic Scotland warned drivers of crosswinds and falling trees and debris.
The A701, two miles north of St Anne's Bridge in Dumfries, has been blocked in both directions by a fallen tree. Flooding and problems with overhead wires affected some ScotRail lines and some football matches were called off.
Power cables have been brought down in South Ayrshire between Minishant and Culroy. Bridges have also been affected, with the Forth, Tay and Skye road bridges closed to high-sided vehicles.
The Forth Road Bridge and Skye bridges have been closed to high-sided vehicles and high winds have affected driving conditions on the Friarton Bridge, near Perth, the Erskine Bridge, the Tay Road Bridge and the Dornoch Bridge. The high winds have also impacted on driving conditions on the Friarton Bridge, near Perth, the Erskine Bridge and the Dornoch Bridge.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued flood alerts for Argyll and Bute, Caithness and Sutherland, Orkney, Shetland, Wester Ross and the Western Isles. The Met Office issued a yellow "be aware" warning of high winds throughout the country.
Yellow 'be aware' warnings of high wind have been issued by the Met Office for all areas of Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as the north west tip of Wales and north west England.
The warnings cover the period from 06:00 until 21:00 on Saturday.The warnings cover the period from 06:00 until 21:00 on Saturday.
A spokesman for the Met Office said: "A vigorous depression is expected to run quickly northeastwards passing west of Scotland on Saturday. Gusts of 65mph have been recorded in South Uist in the Outer Hebrides, while Edinburgh and Glasgow have been buffeted by wind speeds of up to 47mph.
"As this happens, very strong south to southwest winds are likely to develop across much of northern UK. On higher ground, a gust of 102mph was registered on the Applecross peninsula in Wester Ross and speeds of 111mph recorded near Tomintoul in the Cairngorms National Park.
"At this stage there remains uncertainty in the extent of the strongest winds. It still remains possible that more of northern England and northwest Wales could also be affected." The strong winds closed Christmas attractions in Edinburgh, including the Big Wheel in Princes Street Gardens.
The agency advised the public to look out for further updates to the weather warnings. Edinburgh Airport said it was also experiencing disruption due to the bad weather.
It said the gales on Saturday would potentially be followed by another spell of very windy weather across the far north and northwest of Scotland on Sunday, with the potential for gusts of 70 to 80mph, and perhaps more in exposed areas. A football match between Stenhousemuir and Rangers was among those called off.
Again, large waves caused by the very strong winds, particularly around times of high tide, may also become an issue with possible overtopping along exposed coasts. It was cancelled due to safety reasons after structural damage to one of the stands at Ochilview Park in Stenhousemuir.
Yellow warnings of high wind between noon and midnight on Sunday have been issued for the Northern Isles, Highlands and Islands, Grampian and Strathclyde. A game between Partick Thistle and St Johnstone was also called off.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has four flood warnings in place for Carse of Lennoch to Lochlane, Crieff to Innerpeffray, Glen Lyon and Innerpeffray to Bridge of Earn.
There are also a number of flood alerts in place for Argyll and Bute, Caithness and Sutherland, Orkney, Shetland, Skye and Lochaber, Wester Ross and the Western Isles.
Sepa also said large seas and gale force winds could result in flooding at high tide along exposed coastlines and on low lying land and roads.
It warned that rivers were are also running high in areas including Skye and Tayside due to the heavy rain.
Flooding and surface water are also causing problems on roads in Dumfries and Galloway, with the A701, about two miles north of St Anne's Bridge in Dumfries, blocked by a fallen tree.
Sunday warning
Power cables were brought down in South Ayrshire between Minishant and Culroy.
Police Scotland urged drivers to take care and reduce their speed on the roads during the poor weather.
The gales are expected to continue to affect the west coast on Sunday, with the severe weather warning remaining in place for the Highlands, Western Isles, Orkney, Shetland and Strathclyde between noon and midnight.
Again, large waves caused by the very strong winds, particularly around times of high tide, may also become an issue along exposed coasts.
A storm on 5 December left a lorry driver dead after his vehicle was blown onto two cars in Bathgate, West Lothian, while more than 100,000 across Scotland had their power cut.A storm on 5 December left a lorry driver dead after his vehicle was blown onto two cars in Bathgate, West Lothian, while more than 100,000 across Scotland had their power cut.
Winds gusting over 140mph were recorded on Aonach Mor in the Highlands, while the Met Office also recorded a gust of 106mph at Glenogle in Stirlingshire. Winds reached 59mph in Edinburgh and 63mph in Glasgow.Winds gusting over 140mph were recorded on Aonach Mor in the Highlands, while the Met Office also recorded a gust of 106mph at Glenogle in Stirlingshire. Winds reached 59mph in Edinburgh and 63mph in Glasgow.
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