Flights and ferries to Scottish islands cancelled amid yellow warning for wind
The Met Office has also issued a new yellow warning for ice in parts of north-east Scotland.
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Your support makes all the difference.Windy weather has caused travel disruption for people living on Scottish islands, with ferries and flights cancelled.
A Met Office yellow weather warning for wind is in place until 9pm on Sunday, covering the whole of Scotland as well as areas south of the border.
The forecaster has also issued a new yellow warning for ice in parts of north-east Scotland, coming into force at 9pm on Sunday until 10am on Monday.
Several Loganair flights from Glasgow Airport to the Hebridean islands have been cancelled, and 18 CalMac ferry routes have also been axed.
Gusts of 82mph were recorded at Kirkwall on Orkney and at South Uist in the Outer Hebrides – the strongest winds across the UK as of 2.30pm on Sunday, the Met Office said.
CalMac cited “strong winds with gusts up to 60mph” as the reason it cancelled all sailings on the Troon to Brodick service, connecting Ayrshire with the Isle of Arran.
The ferry operator pledged to review cancellations on the Oban to Craignure route, connecting Argyll and Bute with the Isle of Mull, with the possibility that a 7.20pm sailing could go ahead on Sunday.
However, it cited “strong winds and sea swell” as grounds for cancelling all other sailings, including the 6pm ferry from Oban, while farmers were warned no livestock could be transported on sailings to Tiree and Coll from Oban on Monday.
Western Ferries, which operates car and passenger ferries sailing between Hunter’s Quay, Dunoon, Argyll and Bute, and Gourock, Inverclyde, said services are suspended because of the weather, while all sailings on the Cairnryan to Belfast Stena Line route are cancelled, except the 11.30pm sailing which is listed as “in doubt”.
Loganair flights to Barra, the Isle of Lewis, and Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides, and to Islay, as well as Tiree, in the Inner Hebrides, were cancelled on Sunday.
Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud told the PA news agency that Sunday could see gusts of up to 75mph.
He said: “There will continue to be more challenging travel conditions, with coastal areas seeing around 50 to 60mph winds.
“Extremely exposed coastal areas could see up to 70 or 75mph and parts of the west are expected to see 40 or 50mph.
“In the evening we are expecting these to ease and gradually drop off.
“My advice for people travelling today and tonight is to take it easy, particularly in the north and east. The main concern is that there’s the potential for icy patches in some areas.”