Storm Boelo has battered Scotland with winds reaching 82mph, widespread flooding, fallen trees and disruption to roads, trains and ferries.
The storm intensified overnight into Sunday, with the Met Office recording an 82mph gust on Tiree in the Inner Hebrides at around 4am. Winds had already reached 75mph on South Uist on Saturday, while Inverbervie in Aberdeenshire recorded 71mph.
An amber warning for wind remains in force across most of Scotland until 9pm on Sunday, with severe gales continuing through the morning before gradually easing from the west.
The Met Office said widespread gusts of 60 to 70mph were expected, with the potential for around 80mph in exposed coastal areas. Heavy rain is adding to the disruption, particularly across northern Scotland, where 20 to 40mm was forecast widely and up to 60 to 80mm in some locations.
Some of the most dramatic scenes overnight were in Ayrshire.
Saltcoats in North Ayrshire was hit by flooding, with footage showing roads turned into rivers and cars surrounded or partly submerged by water.
The disruption extended further south along the Ayrshire coast. Traffic Scotland reported the A77 near Lendalfoot, between Ardwell and Girvan, closed because of flooding, while the road at Glenapp was restricted by flood water.
The A77 was also affected by fallen trees at several locations, including Bellfield Interchange, Bogend and Grassyards near Kilmarnock.
SEPA had 30 flood warnings and 11 flood alerts in force across Scotland in its early Sunday update, with Ayrshire and Arran among the areas at risk. Its national flood forecast warned of localised flooding of roads and land, individual properties being affected and disruption to travel.
The A8 was closed in both directions between Langbank and Woodhall Roundabout because of flooding, while the A78 at Inverkip Road in Greenock was also closed.
Flood water affected parts of the M8 around Glasgow, including Junction 18 and the eastbound Junction 19 on-slip, while the M876 near Denny was also affected.
Trees were brought down across the road network. The A726 at Righead Roundabout in East Kilbride was closed by a fallen tree, the A75 between Carrutherstown and Collin was shut in both directions and the A82 at Cameron House was partly blocked.
Traffic Scotland also reported restrictions on bridges because of high winds, including the Forth Road Bridge, while drivers crossing the Dornoch, Friarton and Skye bridges were warned about hazardous conditions.
Scotland’s rail network has been badly affected. Network Rail closed the railway between Kilwinning and Ardrossan and Ayr from 9pm on Saturday, cutting rail links into some of the areas worst affected by flooding.
The Crianlarich to Oban and Fort William to Mallaig lines were also closed, while on Sunday the railway between Kyle of Lochalsh and Achnashellach and the Far North Line between Wick and Helmsdale were due to remain shut until engineers could inspect them for storm damage and debris.
Speed restrictions have been imposed across large parts of Scotland’s railway network, increasing journey times and leading to cancellations. Long-distance services have also been heavily reduced.
LNER advised passengers not to travel between Edinburgh and Aberdeen on Sunday. All of its Aberdeen services were cancelled apart from the 1.47pm Aberdeen to Edinburgh train, with no replacement coaches available because of the expected conditions on the roads.
Avanti West Coast advised passengers to avoid travelling north of Preston, affecting services to Glasgow and Edinburgh, while TransPennine Express said no services would operate north of Carlisle on Sunday. Its Liverpool to Glasgow trains were also cancelled.
Air travel has also been affected. An easyJet flight from London Gatwick to Aberdeen was unable to land at Aberdeen International Airport on Saturday as the weather deteriorated. The aircraft carried out a go-around before diverting to Manchester.
Loganair has warned passengers travelling through all of Scotland’s main and island airports that Storm Boelo could affect flights on Saturday and Sunday and offered passengers free changes. Highlands and Islands Airports has also warned that the amber and yellow alerts could affect schedules.
Ferry travel has been badly disrupted by rough seas and high winds. CalMac warned of widespread cancellations and delays across its west coast network, while ITV reported that 30 CalMac services had been cancelled, with some disruption expected to continue into Monday.
Police Scotland has urged people to consider whether journeys are necessary while the amber warning remains in force.
Superintendent Andy Barclay, deputy head of Road Policing, said there was a “high risk of disruption” and warned that travel conditions could be hazardous.
He said: “Our advice is to plan ahead and consider if your journey is really necessary or if it can be delayed until conditions improve.”
Scotland is not yet finished with the unsettled weather. The Met Office has issued another yellow warning for strong winds across most of Scotland for Tuesday, from 3am until midnight. Gusts of 50 to 60mph are possible widely, with exposed coastal areas potentially seeing 70mph or more.