ALL schools in Orkney will close early due to high winds forecast to hit the islands as Storm Arwen rolls in.
Schools will close at 1pm on Friday as an amber weather warning is in place for high winds across Orkney and large parts of mainland Scotland.
Orkney has two senior secondary schools located in Kirkwall and Stromness, four junior high schools and 17 primary schools.
There are around 3000 students across Orkney's schools.
Storm Arwen - the first named storm of the season - is bringing winds of up to 75mph and the amber warning is in place from 3pm on Friday until 9am on Saturday morning.
Snow is also expected across the high grounds of Scotland and northern England with a yellow warning in force for Scotland on Friday.
As #StormArwen approaches the UK it will pull some much colder air along with it
— Met Office (@metoffice) November 25, 2021
This combined with a strong northerly wind means that it won't feel much above freezing for many of us over the coming days 📉🥶 pic.twitter.com/y6OlmZiAqk
The Orkney Local Emergency Co-ordination Group (OLECG) met this afternoon with services on call throughout the weekend to deal with any issues as they arise.
David Hall, Police Scotland Area Inspector for Orkney, chaired the meeting. He said: “Although we are all well used to bad weather at this time of year, the strength of winds we are expecting could bring additional disruption, particularly to our transport networks.
“Winds are expected to peak in the mid-afternoon, with heavy rain also expected.
“I’d encourage local people to plan any journeys accordingly and consider staying at home if you can – if you can’t, make sure and update yourself before you leave home with the latest news from the transport providers.
“Emergency response services – including Orkney Islands Council and SSEN – are on standby to deal with any weather-related issues and we will continue to monitor the situation throughout tomorrow.”
READ MORE: Storm Arwen set to hit Scotland this week - everything you need to know
Hall added: “There is always the possibility that some homes may be affected by a loss of power. In those circumstances, we would ask friends, family and neighbours to keep an eye on people who may be experiencing problems as a result – and dial 105 to report any power issues.
“We would ask that people ensure that anything that could be blown about is safely stowed away or tied down – strips of plastic or polythene, for instance, can cause power cuts if they get wrapped around power lines.”
A Met Office spokesman said: "Storm Arwen has been named on the back of a deep low-pressure system moving to the north-east of the UK, which has brought about our amber wind warning on Friday.
“The worst affected areas will predominantly be on the coasts, with gusts of over 75mph bringing possible disruption to travel and longer journey times, power cuts, flying debris and large waves with beach material being thrown around.
“There is also a yellow warning of wind in place along the west coast of the UK from 9am on Friday, stretching from Scotland, through Northern Ireland and Wales and as far as south-west England.
“This reflects the impact Storm Arwen will have, with strong winds likely to occur into Saturday, when the warning is extended to most parts of the UK."
He said Storm Arwen is moving in from the North Sea and will begin to travel south before easing on Sunday.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here