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| Winds and wave warning as 'weather bomb' hits Scotland | Winds and wave warning as 'weather bomb' hits Scotland |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Strong winds are causing disruption as a so-called "weather bomb" batters Scotland's west coast and far north. | Strong winds are causing disruption as a so-called "weather bomb" batters Scotland's west coast and far north. |
| Met Office amber "be prepared" warnings are in place for the west coast and the Highlands and islands. | Met Office amber "be prepared" warnings are in place for the west coast and the Highlands and islands. |
| A yellow "be aware" warning covers the rest of the country. | A yellow "be aware" warning covers the rest of the country. |
| A power cut has hit the whole of the Western Isles, with about 17,000 customers affected. SSE said the fault should be repaired during the morning. | A power cut has hit the whole of the Western Isles, with about 17,000 customers affected. SSE said the fault should be repaired during the morning. |
| Hundreds of homes are also affected by power cuts on the Highland mainland in west Lochaber. A power cut is also reported to be affecting Shetland. | Hundreds of homes are also affected by power cuts on the Highland mainland in west Lochaber. A power cut is also reported to be affecting Shetland. |
| Morven Smith from Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission said the Outer Hebrides lost power at 07:00 after really strong winds overnight. | Morven Smith from Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission said the Outer Hebrides lost power at 07:00 after really strong winds overnight. |
| She said they were hoping to restore electricity to all 17,500 customers from local power stations on Lewis and South Uist. | She said they were hoping to restore electricity to all 17,500 customers from local power stations on Lewis and South Uist. |
| The rapid cyclogenesis - known colloquially as a "weather bomb" - is a deep, low-pressure system moving slowly eastwards between Scotland and Iceland. | The rapid cyclogenesis - known colloquially as a "weather bomb" - is a deep, low-pressure system moving slowly eastwards between Scotland and Iceland. |
| Waves heights of up to 40ft are expected to batter the west coast until 15:00. | |
| Fifteen flood warnings and 12 flood alerts have been issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa). | Fifteen flood warnings and 12 flood alerts have been issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa). |
| BBC Scotland is running a live page with all the latest updates throughout the day. | BBC Scotland is running a live page with all the latest updates throughout the day. |
| The Stromness lifeboat has been called out after a Spanish fishing boat radioed in a Mayday after being hit by a large wave off the west coast of Orkney. | The Stromness lifeboat has been called out after a Spanish fishing boat radioed in a Mayday after being hit by a large wave off the west coast of Orkney. |
| It is understood the wheelhouse windows of the trawler were smashed in the incident, with waves bigger than the height of the boat. Coastguards said that it would take the lifeboat some time to reach the vessel and escort it to shelter at North Sound. | |
| The Shetland coastguard helicopter, which was at the scene, was forced to land on Westray because of lightning in the area. | |
| Network Rail said the vast majority of the train network would be running but they had withdrawn services in the more exposed areas such as coastal routes and the far north line up towards Wick and Thurso. | Network Rail said the vast majority of the train network would be running but they had withdrawn services in the more exposed areas such as coastal routes and the far north line up towards Wick and Thurso. |
| A number of rail services have been withdrawn. No trains will run on the following lines: | A number of rail services have been withdrawn. No trains will run on the following lines: |
| Inspector Bryan McGeogh from Police Scotland said: "I would advise people to travel with caution across the country. | Inspector Bryan McGeogh from Police Scotland said: "I would advise people to travel with caution across the country. |
| "Very high winds are expected which could impact on the road network, rail travel, ferries and bridges and driving in these conditions could be particularly hazardous." | "Very high winds are expected which could impact on the road network, rail travel, ferries and bridges and driving in these conditions could be particularly hazardous." |
| Richard Brown, head of hydrology at the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), told Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme that their systems were indicating flooding may not be as severe as predicted. | Richard Brown, head of hydrology at the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa), told Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme that their systems were indicating flooding may not be as severe as predicted. |
| "I should say we have no major concerns over the larger rivers today, most of the rain is locked up as snow in the higher ground so the rivers shouldn't be a problem." he said. | "I should say we have no major concerns over the larger rivers today, most of the rain is locked up as snow in the higher ground so the rivers shouldn't be a problem." he said. |
| "There will, of course, be localised flooding but our main focus is on coastal flooding." | "There will, of course, be localised flooding but our main focus is on coastal flooding." |
| Check out the latest travel news for Scotland | Check out the latest travel news for Scotland |
| For the latest on the roads visit the BBC's travel news page and keep up to date with incidents and roadworks on the motorways here. | For the latest on the roads visit the BBC's travel news page and keep up to date with incidents and roadworks on the motorways here. |
| Around the country you can check for updates from: | Around the country you can check for updates from: |
| Alternatively, for regular travel bulletins listen live to BBC Radio Scotland and follow @BBCTravelScot. | Alternatively, for regular travel bulletins listen live to BBC Radio Scotland and follow @BBCTravelScot. |
| In times of severe disruption you can also follow the BBC Scotland severe weather Twitter list of key sources. | In times of severe disruption you can also follow the BBC Scotland severe weather Twitter list of key sources. |
| Below are a number of other traffic information sources. | Below are a number of other traffic information sources. |
| Scotland's Deputy First Minister John Swinney urged people across the country to be on the lookout for travel and safety advice. | Scotland's Deputy First Minister John Swinney urged people across the country to be on the lookout for travel and safety advice. |
| He said: "I am confident we are well-placed to cope." | He said: "I am confident we are well-placed to cope." |
| Mr Swinney said the Scottish government's Resilience Committee would meet again later to discuss the situation. | Mr Swinney said the Scottish government's Resilience Committee would meet again later to discuss the situation. |
| He told BBC Radio Scotland: "It is important to keep this in context. It's not a surprise that Scotland faces severe winter weather, we face it to a greater or lesser extent every year. This morning we're wrestling with a number of different issues. | He told BBC Radio Scotland: "It is important to keep this in context. It's not a surprise that Scotland faces severe winter weather, we face it to a greater or lesser extent every year. This morning we're wrestling with a number of different issues. |
| "We're wrestling with very high wind speeds, which are not that uncommon in the Western Isles for example, but they are still severe and need to be prepared for. | "We're wrestling with very high wind speeds, which are not that uncommon in the Western Isles for example, but they are still severe and need to be prepared for. |
| "We're wrestling with the possibility of coastal flooding because of the sea surges and strength of waves that are likely to come, and in other parts of the country we're wrestling with the issues of snow on the A9 and M74 and we also will, I suspect, be dealing with a bit of flooding on some of the river systems in Scotland but mainly on agricultural land. | "We're wrestling with the possibility of coastal flooding because of the sea surges and strength of waves that are likely to come, and in other parts of the country we're wrestling with the issues of snow on the A9 and M74 and we also will, I suspect, be dealing with a bit of flooding on some of the river systems in Scotland but mainly on agricultural land. |
| "I think it's important to remember that this is weather which is characteristic of winter weather in Scotland and what's important is that we take the necessary steps to prepare for it." | "I think it's important to remember that this is weather which is characteristic of winter weather in Scotland and what's important is that we take the necessary steps to prepare for it." |
| On Tuesday, ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne said the severe whether had caused "extensive disruption". | On Tuesday, ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne said the severe whether had caused "extensive disruption". |
| In Edinburgh, tourist attractions including the Christmas Big Wheel, outdoor ice rinks and the city's zoo were closed due to the bad weather. | In Edinburgh, tourist attractions including the Christmas Big Wheel, outdoor ice rinks and the city's zoo were closed due to the bad weather. |
| The RNLI said some of those involved in maritime activities have dubbed Wednesday "Black Wednesday" because of the severity of the conditions expected. | The RNLI said some of those involved in maritime activities have dubbed Wednesday "Black Wednesday" because of the severity of the conditions expected. |
| South Devon-based website Magicseaweed.com produces charts and swell models designed to help surfers pinpoint the best sites to enjoy their sport. | South Devon-based website Magicseaweed.com produces charts and swell models designed to help surfers pinpoint the best sites to enjoy their sport. |
| Its swell chart for Wednesday shows a large black area indicating swells of up to 40ft (12m). | Its swell chart for Wednesday shows a large black area indicating swells of up to 40ft (12m). |