UK weather: thousands without power in Scotland after Storm Gerrit (2024)

About 16,000 homes were entering Thursday without power, Scottish authorities said, after Storm Gerrit wreaked havoc. Scotland’s rail network has also experienced widespread cancellations and delays.

Parts of Scotland have had significant heavy snow with Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) saying workers had been dealing with wind speeds of 80mph in some coastal areas as they worked to reconnect customers.

High winds, along with heavy rain and snow, damaged electricity networks across Scotland as fallen trees, branches and other debris brought down power lines. SSEN said power had been restored to 25,000 properties. “Some customers in rural areas may be off supply for up to 48 hours.”

A yellow warning for wind and snow remained in place until 6am on Thursday in the Shetlands.

ScotRail suspended multiple train services until further notice, while other lines saw their timetables shelved until “a full inspection can be carried out” on the railway network.

In one incident a train driver’s cabin was hit by a falling tree. Aslef Scotland confirmed the driver was uninjured and Labour MSP Paul Sweeney said passengers were also unharmed.

Train operator LNER, which runs services between London and Scotland on the East Coast Main Line, on Wednesday advised customers not to travel due to the weather. Customers stranded by the disruption were told to book hotels and claim back the cost.

Avanti West Coast, which operates services on the West Coast Main Line, said its route to Scotland was impassable on Wednesday with all services to and from London terminating at Preston. Those with pre-booked tickets for travel between Preston and either Edinburgh or Glasgow could board trains on Thursday or Friday, the operator said.

Network Rail Scotland warned passengers that disruption would continue into Thursday while lines were inspected for damage.

The fastest recorded wind gusts by Thursday morning were 86mph at Inverbervie on the north-east coast of Scotland, 84mph at Fair Isle and 83mph at Capel Curig, north Wales.

Sepa, the Scottish environment agency, issued seven flood warnings, including across Dumfries and Galloway, Orkney and the Scottish Borders.

Scotland police confirmed the A9 had fully reopened in both directions and was “passable with care” after snow blocked the road between Drumochter and Dalwhinnie. Inspector Michelle Burns, from Police Scotland’s Road Policing Unit, said: “Conditions for travel in the affected areas may be hazardous and extra caution should be exercised by all road users.”

The A90 northbound also reopened after earlier closures, but southbound lanes at Lochlands, Forfar remained off-limits on Thursday morning with local diversions in place.

Storm Gerrit also brought plenty of rain, with the Great Langdale Valley in the Lake District recording 80mm – nearly half the usual 178mm monthly rainfall for December, the Met Office said.

The West Midlands and east Midlands were expected to face rising flood waters, with the Environment Agency issuing warnings for rivers in Halesowen, Marchington, Warwick and Woodborough. In East Yorkshire, there was a warning in place in the upper Hull catchment.

There were 139 flood alerts in place in England, particularly across the west, running from Carlisle down to Bournemouth. There were a further 26 in Wales and 15 in Scotland.

Travellers were warned of delays and potentially hazardous conditions on the way home from their Christmas holidays as the UK braced for the storm. Yellow wind and rain warnings were in place across much of the UK.

By midday on Wednesday, at least 18 British Airways flights had been cancelled owing to the storm.

Air traffic control restrictions meant the BA flights due to operate to or from Heathrow airport were axed. They were return domestic trips to Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Jersey and Manchester, and flights to Barcelona, Berlin, Madrid and Paris Charles de Gaulle.

A BA spokesperson said: “We have apologised to our customers for any disruption to their travel plans and our teams are working hard to get them on their way as quickly as possible.”

The Met Office said Mickleden in Cumbria had the most rainfall on Wednesday, with 80mm, followed by Thirlmere in Cumbria with 68mm and Millport in North Ayrshire with 58mm.

A man was rescued from a car that became stuck in flood water in Brighouse, West Yorkshire, on Wednesday morning, while major roads in Aberdeen, Ceredigion, Ross-shire and Wolverhampton were blocked by fallen trees. In Dumbarton, a tree fell on to a train line and caught fire.

Dr Shaun Dellenty was among the motorists caught up in the congestion on the A9. Dellenty wrote on X: “Huge lines of stationary traffic and severe gales and drifting snow. Not moved for two and a half hours. Seen one snowplough so far.”

The A9 and the A96 at Huntly were closed in both directions between Dunkeld and Ballinluig due to flooding while the A82 Invergarry to Fort Augustus was closed in both directions due to fallen trees, according to Traffic Scotland’s website.

In London, some parks including Golders Hill Park and Hill Garden and Pergola, West Ham Park and Queen’s Park were shut due to high winds.

The Met Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said the storm was named as a warning to people coming home after the Christmas holidays.

He said on Tuesday: “Due to the extent of the warnings that are being issued, it was deemed that a named storm would be a good idea because it will highlight to the public the risk associated, particularly as tomorrow is likely to be quite a busy day on the roads with people travelling back home from Christmas.”

A storm is named when it is deemed to have the potential to have a medium or high impact on the UK or Ireland. The Met Office and Met Éireann launched the scheme in 2015 to name storms as part of an effort to raise awareness of extreme weather events.

With PA Media