Heavy rainfall, melting snow, and strong winds have brought significant disruption to Scotland’s transport networks and public services, prompting extensive flood warnings and road closures across the country on Monday. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) issued 19 flood warnings and 12 less severe flood alerts, spanning a substantial portion of Scotland.
Areas under flood warning include Dalry and Kilwinning in North Ayrshire, Aberfoyle in Stirling, Newton Stewart and Whitesands in Dumfries and Galloway, and the Churchill Barriers in Orkney, alongside several locations in Tayside.
The Met Office had issued a yellow warning for rain across north-western Scotland, which remained in effect until 10 am on Monday. Forecasters anticipated up to 110mm of rain in parts of Skye, Lochaber, Argyll, and the Trossachs. A separate yellow warning for wind, forecasting gusts up to 85mph in north-west Scotland, expired at 8 am. The combination of this heavy rainfall and a “rapid thaw” of accumulated snow has heightened flood concerns.
Road infrastructure has been severely impacted. The A83 at the frequently troubled Rest and Be Thankful pass was closed in both directions on Monday following a landslide, with traffic diverted onto the Old Military Road as a precautionary measure.
Bear Scotland’s north-west representative, Euan Scott, stated: “The safety of road users is the priority for Bear Scotland and we closely monitor conditions at the Rest and Be Thankful on a daily basis.”
“Subject to the weather improving, we plan to inspect the hillside thoroughly on Monday January 12 and this will inform a decision to return traffic to the A83.”
This section of the A83 has a history of vulnerability to landslips triggered by adverse weather.
Further road closures due to flooding included the A9 at Blair Atholl and the A92 at Portlethen. High winds also affected major bridges, including the Dornoch Bridge and Kessock Bridge on the A9, and the Skye Bridge on the A87.
Rail and ferry services have also experienced significant disruption. Numerous ferry cancellations were reported from ports such as Oban, Troon, Mallaig, Ullapool, and Largs. ScotRail advised passengers to expect delays and cancellations across various routes, including services from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh, Tain, Wick, and Edinburgh, as well as Glasgow Queen Street services to Oban and Fort William/Mallaig, with speed restrictions imposed for safety.
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Mark Ilderton, ScotRail service delivery director, urged passengers to “check their full journey before they travel using the ScotRail website, app, or our social media channels.”
In the education sector, ten schools in Aberdeenshire remained closed on Monday, following the council’s declaration of a major incident last week. Hundreds of schools across the Highlands, Moray, Orkney, and Shetland Islands had been affected by closures in the preceding days due to severe winter conditions.
The Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGoRR), the national crisis coordination facility, convened for the seventh consecutive day on Sunday, with ministers chairing discussions to coordinate the multi-agency response to the challenging weather conditions and facilitate the restoration of normal services.
