Storm Bert wreaks havoc across Scotland with wind, rain & snow as weather bomb kills three in UK
STORM Bert caused travel mayhem across the country – as three men died in road traffic collisions during a day of carnage for motorists.
Hundreds of homes in Scotland were left without power by the weather bomb sweeping in from the Atlantic[1].
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Heavy snow battered the country todayCredit: Reuters
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Storm Bert caused travel mayhem across the countryCredit: Reuters
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Traffic came to a standstill in bad weather conditions on the M80 near Castlecary, North LanarkshireCredit: PA
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A number of weather warnings were in place as Storm Bert moved across the countryCredit: Roddy Scott
And the snow, rain and wind also had a huge impact on football fixtures north of the border with a series of games postponed and others delayed[2].
The team bus of League One side Stenhousemuir even ground to a halt near a Perthshire roundabout[3] as players were being driven to play against Cove Rangers in Aberdeen.
The match was later postponed.
A man in his sixties died[4] after a tree fell onto a black Mercedes car on the A34 near Winchester this morning.
shut at certain sections at points throughout the day[5].
The M8 between Glasgow and Edinburgh came to a halt near Livingston, West Lothian, as cars skidded and the £1.35 billion Queensferry Crossing had to be shut due to the risk of chunks of ice landing on cars below.
SPFL side stuck in snow as Storm Bert chaos hits
Traffic was also at a standstill in bad weather conditions on the M80 near Castlecary, North Lanarkshire.
The A68 between St Boswells and Ancrum was closed in both directions by the weather.
There were delays on the A1 at Wallyford, due to an accident and the A77 south of Girvan was closed in both directions due to flooding.
Lothian Buses pulled all of their vehicles from the streets of Edinburgh due to “safety concerns”.
Two coaches destined for Glasgow became trapped in icy conditions along Edinburgh’s Frederick Street.
Motorists were seen skidding in their cars throughout the capital as a result of the ice and snow.
The Scottish Government took a thinly-veiled swipe at those setting out on the roads.
A Transport Scotland spokesman said: “The travelling public has a role to play during challenging weather conditions too.
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Storm Bert brought heavy snow and winds in Scotland this morningCredit: WXCHARTS
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Motorists were seen skidding as a result of the ice and snowCredit: Roddy Scott
“Drivers planning to travel should always check conditions before they set off.
“We have been warning and informing the public about the potential impact of Storm Bert on the transport network since the Met Office issued their amber warning on Thursday.”
In Glasgow, the city council insisted gritting had taken place during the night, despite roads being covered in snow at dawn.
A spokeswoman for the city council said: “Our gritting crews were out last night and again early this morning, treating priority carriageways, footways and cycle lanes. This includes the city centre area.
“Crews have also gone back out again this morning to treat surfaces as required.”
Meanwhile, top flight football matches went ahead which involved fans driving through amber warning areas where the Met Office had predicted “a danger to life”.
The kick off at Rangers home game against Dundee United at Ibrox was delayed.
A series of games were called off, including a Championship clash between Morton and Patrick Thistle and Kelty Hearts’ League one clash against Arbroath.
Weather warnings still in place
There are still weather warnings in place tonight and into Sunday. Here are the areas affected:
Yellow warning for rain from now until 7am on Sunday.
Regions and local authorities affected:Central, Tayside & FifeAngusClackmannanshirePerth and KinrossStirlingGrampianAberdeenshireMoraySW Scotland, Lothian BordersDumfries and GallowayScottish Borders
Yellow warning for wind from 12pm on Sunday until midnight.
Regions and local authorities affected:Highlands & Eilean SiarNa h-Eileanan SiarHighlandStrathclydeArgyll and Bute
Games at Bonnyrigg Rose and Elgin City were also called off.
Power cuts affected a number of communities in central Scotland, the Highlands and Argyll and Bute.
Almost 300 homes on the isle of Colonsay, south of Mull, were left without power.
Parts of the Isle of Tiree were also cut off.
The village of Culbokie near Dingwall reported an unplanned outage.
Areas around Callander, Crianlarich and Comrie were also affected.
Power company SSEN said it responded to a “few localised faults”.
Gusts measuring 105mph were recorded over the tops of the Cairngorms in the Scottish Highlands.
Glasgow’s Christmas market had to abandon its opening night in George Square due to worsening weather conditions.
Edinburgh Zoo closed its doors to the public due to safety concerns and the opening of the Capital’s Botanic Gardens was also delayed.
The Met Office said a low of minus 12.4C was recorded at Kinbrace in Sutherland yesterday morning – making it the coldest temperature of the season so far.
Such was the danger posed by Bert – the second named storm of the season – that meteorologists, police and Scottish Government officials had been warning from Thursday that all unnecessary travel should be avoided.
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A number of areas in the central belt were affected by heavy snowfallCredit: Alamy
Parts of central Scotland were subject to an amber warning and southern Scotland was added to the danger list on Friday night.
Practically all of Scotland fell under a yellow warning area, for rain and snow, which is not due to expire until 9am on Sunday.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued six flood alerts and one, more serious, flood warning for the Churchill Barriers on Orkney.
ScotRail suspended all train services between Glasgow and Neilston and Neilston and Cathcart due to a signalling fault.
Glasgow Airport reported a string of flight cancellations, principally to the Scottish islands including Tiree, Benbecula, Islay and Barra as well as to London Heathrow.
A handful of flights were called off from Edinburgh and Aberdeen airports.
Ferry operator Cal Mac cancelled a slew of sailings on the west coast, including Oban to Castlebay, Mallaig to Armadale and Barra to Eriskay.
With high winds forecast for the second half of the weekend – predicted speeds are up to 75mph – more cancellations are expected on Sunday.
Thousands of kids enjoyed sledging but had to be quick on the toboggan run before a rapid thaw turned snow to rain.
Ice pancakes were spotted in the River Thurso at Halkirk in Caithness. This happens when foam on the water surfaces freezes.
An unusual ice ‘spike’ was pictured in Giffnock, East Renfrewshire, a sliver of ice rising out of the top of a garden washing pole.