SCOTTISH Government officials have been told 100,000 homes across the country are without power as First Minister John Swinney urged people to continue following advice during Storm Eowyn.
Swinney has said power outages are set to continue throughout the day and it will take time to recover services across the country.
Amid gusts of up to 100mph in many parts of Scotland, Swinney has also warned people not to travel adding there are too many lorries on roads at the moment.
Police say they have responded to 11 incidents so far where HGVs have overturned.
At a meeting of the Scottish Government Resilience Room on Friday, officials were told of “severe transport disruption” with rail, bus, ferry and flight cancellations, while 92% of schools are closed.
People are being urged to plan ahead and continue to follow safety advice in the coming days, including checking for the latest road conditions, ScotRail services and public transport advice which are all expected to experience continued disruption.
Swinney said: “Storm Eowyn is an exceptional weather event and is causing significant impacts across Scotland, with multiple reports of fallen trees and blown over vehicles. What the Met Office predicted has come our way, with gusts of 100mph winds reported.
“I want to thank members of the public for largely following Police Scotland’s advice not to travel. However, this storm is not over yet. Even once the red weather warning expires, severe weather warnings for wind, snow and ice remain in place across much of the country tonight and into tomorrow morning.
“A high level of vigilance is still required. There are still too many lorries on the road and I urge all HGVs to follow Police Scotland advice not to travel during the red weather warning.
ScotRail has warned people should not expect any trains to run until at least midday tomorrow with significant damage being experienced across the railway network including fallen trees and damaged overhead lines.
Bridges including the Erskine Bridge and Clackmannanshire Bridge have been closed but police have said they are concerned HGV drivers are still attempting to travel on some roads.
Assistant Chief Constable Mark Sutherland, who is leading the multi-agency response to Storm Eowyn, said: “We have seen significant disruption across the country, particularly in the areas affected by the red weather warning. First and foremost, our thoughts are with those who have been injured and those impacted by the weather.
“The high winds are forecast to continue, with amber warnings in place into this evening and tomorrow morning.
“It is concerning that there has been a large number of HGVs on the road. We have responded to 11 incidents so far where HGVs have overturned due to high winds and I want to reiterate the advice that you should not travel in or to areas under the red weather warning.
“Additionally, I would urge the public to avoid travelling in areas affected by the amber warning and consider delaying your travel until conditions improve.”
