Amber warning as Storm Darragh hits Scotland

Storm Darragh has brought damage and disruption to some parts of Scotland, with an amber warning for high winds and yellow warnings for wind and rain.

The amber warning for wind covered part of Dumfries and Galloway, with fears there could be damage to buildings and homes.

Strong winds tore a large section of the roof off Castle Douglas High School, landing partially on another part of the school.

Dumfries and Galloway Council confirmed the school has been made safe and would open as normal on Monday.

An amber warning for wind means flying debris and falling trees could pose a risk to life, while large waves and beach material could be thrown onto coastal roads and seafronts.

Damage to buildings and homes, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down, as well as power cuts affecting other services such as mobile phone coverage, was also expected.

A rare red warning was in place for western and southern coastal regions of Wales as well as the Bristol Channel in England. Yellow warnings for wind and rain are also in place across much of Scotland throughout the weekend.

The weather warnings issued by the Met Office cover different parts of Scotland:

• Central, southern and eastern Scotland is covered by various yellow warnings for rain and wind until Sunday morning
• Much of the north east of the country is covered by a yellow warning for rain from 15:00 on Friday to 22:00 on Saturday
• An amber warning for wind in southern and western Dumfries and Galloway and parts of South Ayrshire ran from 01:00 to 16:00 on Saturday

You can check the latest weather warnings from the Met Office here.

Scotrail said services on the Stranraer line between Girvan and Ayr were disrupted by a tree on the tracks, with Network Rail sending a chainsaw team to the site.

There have been snow gate closures on the A93 and A939 roads, while the southbound A1 was restricted at Eyemouth due to a fallen tree.

CalMac cancelled many routes off Scotland’s west coast on Saturday, and warned of possible disruptions to the remaining sailings.

Ferry operators Stena Line and P&O also cancelled their crossings between Cairnryan and Northern Ireland on Saturday in light of the forecast.

A Stena Line ferry which left Scotland on Saturday morning just before 01:00 on Saturday morning was still stranded off the west coast of Northern Ireland on Saturday evening, after it was unable to dock due to the conditions caused by Storm Darragh.

Meanwhile, the Energy Networks Association reported 86,000 homes in England, Scotland and Wales were without power.

Met Office presenter Clare Nasir told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme that winds on the east coast could peak at around 60mph on Saturday evening.”

Transport Scotland said road, rail, air and ferry services were likely to be affected with longer journey times and cancellations possible.

Its resilience room and multi-agency response team will both be activated to monitor conditions.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said travellers should “plan their journey in advance, drive to the conditions and follow Police Scotland travel advice”.

Ch Supt Hilary Sloan, head of road policing, said: “Drivers of vehicles vulnerable to being blown over should plan their route to avoid exposed areas, or consider delaying your journey until conditions improve.

“Plan ahead and keep updated by checking the Met Office and Traffic Scotland websites and social media.”

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has issued a number of flood alerts and warnings for across the country.

Flood duty manager David Morgan said: “There’s a risk of surface water and river flooding in central, southern and north-eastern areas due to persistent, and at times heavy, rainfall.

“People living, working and travelling in affected areas are advised to consider any steps they need to take now to be prepared and stay safe.”

Storm Darragh is the fourth named storm of the season, following Ashley, Bert, and Conall.

Wind speeds of 63mph were recorded in Port Ellon, on the island of Islay, and Machrihanish, in Argyll. On the island of Tiree, West Freugh in Wigtownshire, and Dundrennan in Dumfries and Galloway, wind speeds reached 62mph.