STORM Jocelyn has brought fresh travel disruption to much of the UK, less than two days after Storm Isha left two people dead and thousands without power.
The 10th named storm of the season brought an amber warning for wind to parts of Scotland on Wednesday morning with much of the UK covered by a yellow alert into the afternoon.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said that the north of Scotland endured several hours of gale-force winds with a gust of 74mph recorded in South Uist at around 10pm on Tuesday.
Further transport disruption is expected with rail services to and from Scotland suspended until at least noon on Wednesday.
Martin Thomson, national operations manager for resilience at Transport Scotland, said: “Across the wider network, we can expect to see more delays and cancellations with ferries, flights and rail into Wednesday morning.”
READ MORE: Scotland weather: How long is Storm Jocelyn going to last?
Network Rail Scotland said it had dealt with incidents including flooding, fallen trees and a shed roof blowing on to a high wall above a track on Tuesday evening and would be inspecting routes for damage from first light.
A statement said: “It’ll be done in many ways – teams on foot, in road-rail vehicles, freight locos and empty passenger trains. Our helicopter will be out too, as soon as winds ease.”
ScotRail said all lines will be checked before services restart, saying “it will be later on in the day before any trains can run”.
Avanti West Coast told passengers not to attempt to travel north of Preston until at least noon on Wednesday and warned journeys in northwest England may take longer due to speed restrictions.
Ferries were also disrupted with some CalMac services cancelled due to the weather conditions.
Finlay MacRae, head of operations at CalMac, said: “It’s a challenging and difficult time for communities, with travel and supply chain interrupted throughout prolonged periods of adverse weather.
“Whilst disruption is unavoidable, we are continually looking at service resumption options when there’s a weather window and it is safe to do so.
“The safety of our crews, port staff and the customers we serve is our priority. We are always grateful to the communities who use the network for their patience and understanding during storms.”
NorthLink Ferries said that morning sailings between Stromness in Orkney and Scrabster on the mainland and from Scrabster to Stromness were cancelled due to the adverse weather forecasted.
The 4.45pm sailing from Stromness to Scrabster and the 7pm sailing from Scrabster to Stromness remained under review.
The A76 was closed in both directions between Skelmorlie and Largs due to water breaking over the sea wall. The Forth Bridge was open to cars and single-decker buses with restrictions on high-sided vehicles on several bridges.
Eight flights were cancelled at Dublin Airport and four at Glasgow Airport on Tuesday evening.
An amber warning for wind, issued by the Met Office, is in place across the north and west of Scotland until 8am on Wednesday with a yellow warning in place until 1pm across Scotland, Northern Ireland, north Wales and northwest England. A further yellow warning runs until 3pm across northeast England, the Midlands and south Wales.
The number of flood warnings – meaning flooding was expected – had reached 37 in Scotland.
Forecasters expect winds to gradually ease from the south as Storm Jocelyn moves away from the UK on Wednesday, which will be a day of sunny spells and blustery showers, although mainly dry in the south.
READ MORE: Scotland to Europe ferry: Plans to reintroduce service ditched
Cloud and outbreaks of rain will move north east on Thursday with brighter conditions on Friday and Saturday and frequent showers in the north.
SSEN Distribution said its teams are working hard to restore power to customers in the north of Scotland whose supply has been affected.
As of 8am on Wednesday, supplies have been successfully restored to 2200 customers, with just under 2400 properties currently off supply.
Andy Smith, operations director at SSEN Distribution, said: “Jocelyn is the second severe storm the north of Scotland has faced in three days, and I’d like to thank our customers for their patience while we respond to it.
“Our network has held up well overnight given the strength of winds we have seen across western and northern Scotland, but our teams still face another day of challenging conditions as we work hard to reconnect all of our customers.”
The family of a man who died after the car he was in hit a fallen tree during Storm Isha have said their hearts are broken as they paid tribute to the “much loved” 84-year-old.
James “Jimmy” Johnstone, from Grangemouth, was the front-seat passenger in the car which struck a tree on the A905, Beancross Road in Grangemouth at around 11.45pm on Sunday. Police said that he was pronounced dead at the scene, while the other occupants of the vehicle were not injured.
In a statement released through Police Scotland, Mr Johnstone’s family said: “A much-loved and well-respected family man who left a lasting impression on all who had the privilege to have met him. Our hearts are broken as a family however take great comfort in knowing that he has been reunited with his beloved wife Anne.”
Police appealed for information about the incident.
Road policing inspector Andrew Thomson said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Mr Johnstone, and all those involved in the collision. We continue to offer them support as our inquiries progress.
“I’d be keen to speak to anyone who saw what happened or was on the A905 around 11.45pm on Sunday. I’d also request anyone with dashcam footage of Beancross Road around that time, please review your footage and bring anything of significance to our attention.”
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