Storm Floris to cause travel disruption as wind warnings upgraded
A yellow warning for wind had already been issued for northern parts of the UK from 6am on Monday to 6am on Tuesday.
Stormy weather can severely impact the railway, with journey delays and cancellations, National Rail warned.
'It is likely that speed restrictions will be in place and your journey may take longer,' it said.
Strong winds can bring down trees that block tracks and damage power lines.
The weather could also disrupt road, air and ferry services, and close bridges, it is feared.
Many inland parts of the warning area will see westerly gusts of 40-50mph and exposed coasts and high ground could see them reach 70mph, the Met Office said.
There is a chance that winds could even reach 85mph on Scottish coastlines and hills.
Scottish ferry operator CalMac has issued a series of cancellation warnings ahead of the storm.
'Disruption to sailings is expected across our network on Monday August 4 due to forecasted strong winds across parts of Scotland's west coast,' it posted on X.
Elsewhere, motorists have been urged to slow down in poor weather and avoid exposed Highland and coastal routes.
Rod Dennis, of the RAC breakdown service, said: 'This unseasonable bout of stormy weather will mean drivers in the north and west of the UK need to take extra care at the start of next week.
'It's the height of the holiday season, so those towing trailers and caravans, as well as those with roof and tent boxes, must ensure their loads are properly secured.'
Met Office chief meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said: 'Across the warning area, many inland areas are likely to see gusts of 40-50mph, with 60-70mph more likely at higher elevations and around exposed coasts in Scotland.
'There is a small chance that some locations here could even record gusts of 85mph.'
The strongest winds will most likely affect Scotland on Monday afternoon and night but 'there remains some uncertainty in the depth and track of Floris', a spokesperson added.
'Winds will first ease in the west during later Monday but remaining very strong overnight until early Tuesday in the east.
'Heavy rain may also contribute to the disruption in places.'
The warning zone covers Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland, north Wales and the north of England.
Storm Floris is the sixth named storm of the 2024-25 naming season, which runs from early September to late August, and January's Storm Eowyn was the most recent.
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Ross Moran, rail director for Network Rail in Scotland, said storms such as Floris can have 'devastating' effects on train lines. On Tuesday, he told the PA news agency: 'The storm has caused really unprecedented challenges and damage to the railway infrastructure. 'The storm hit Scotland at around 11am on Monday. It was sustained and frequent until about 7.30pm. 'It has caused damage to overhead lines, there's been more than 100 trees, as well as sheds and trampolines, blown on to the railway infrastructure.' Mr Moran said that storms such as Floris are unusual during the summer and more common in the winter months. He added: 'What that means is we've got trees in full bloom, and therefore they're heavier and when you get wind speeds of over 100mph, the impact can be devastating to the railway infrastructure.' Mr Moran said communities in Inverness, Aberdeen and the far north of Scotland have experienced the worst disruption to railway lines, but added that clean-up crews and engineers are making 'good progress', and thanked passengers for their patience while they seek to fix any damage to the lines. He said: 'We are making good progress. At the moment there are still power issues, there are significant issues, but our engineers and track teams are out there working tirelessly, and we expect that we'll continue to make good progress, and we will be able to update passengers as the day progresses.' 🚆Many of our routes are now reopen. Some routes in the North are still being worked on. Please check our app and website for the latest service information. — ScotRail (@ScotRail) August 5, 2025 Mr Moran added: 'We are so grateful to the patience of passengers while we've worked through this difficult period, but do take our assurances that we're doing everything we can to get the lines back over and again as soon as possible.' Engineers are working to restore power to a total of around 22,000 properties in the north and north-east of Scotland. Work is also under way to clear trees from several railway lines which were blocked by the storm. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said it had restored power to 60,000 properties since the onset of the high winds. SSEN's director of customer operations for the north of Scotland, Andy Smith, said: 'Storm Floris has been unusually powerful, especially for a storm at this time of year. 'It's brought down many trees that have endured several previous storms, and it's caused some network damage. 'Today, we've been able to inspect the network from the air and from the ground, and we now have a complete picture of the extent of the damage. 'There's a considerable ongoing task to restore all customers' supplies, but we have an 800-strong team whose priority is to make repairs as safely and quickly as they can, keep customers updated, and support those awaiting reconnection. 'I'd like to thank our customers for their understanding and patience while we go about this massive task; we're doing our best to give people realistic, informed estimates of when we'll get their power back on. 'I'm also grateful to the teams from our contract partners and other network operators for supporting our effort.' The company, which is the network operator for northern Scotland, said it had organised meal provision in some of the affected communities. ScotRail said some routes in the north are still facing disruption. On Monday night, the Scottish Government's resilience room held an emergency meeting to help decide an appropriate response to the storm, which has also led to delays in exam results being delivered to pupils in some island communities. Ministers including Angela Constance were joined by representatives from the Met Office, Police Scotland, Transport Scotland, Sepa and transport and utilities companies. Trunk road companies are continuing to remove fallen trees and debris from roads. With winds of up to 90mph in some parts of the country, a significant clear-up job will be required to inspect lines and carry out repair work before it is safe to restore a full service. More wet and windy weather is forecast for late on Wednesday and Thursday, but no Met Office weather warnings are in place for Tuesday. ScotRail is urging customers to check their journey via the app, website or JourneyCheck before they travel. Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Mike Silverstone said: 'While the system later this week won't carry as many impacts as Storm Floris, a further period of unseasonable wet and windy weather is on the way late on Wednesday and into Thursday for those in north-western parts of the UK. 'An area of low pressure from the west will bring some strong winds, especially for those in western parts of Scotland. 'Gusts over 50mph are possible for a time. Some heavy rain will also accompany the strong winds, with up to 30mm possible.'
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