Storm Boelo weather warning upgraded to amber as strong winds set to batter Angus
Angus is set to be battered by Storm Boelo this weekend with a weather warning upgraded to amber.
A weekend worth of poor weather will set in across the region from today (Friday, October 23) with downpours from Storm Austen first hitting the region.
The second named storm of the season, Storm Boelo, will then sweep in from Saturday evening. While a yellow weather warning for wind was initially in place from 6pm on Saturday until 9pm on Sunday, the Met Office has now upgraded the warning over Angus to a more serious amber alert.
The newly upgraded amber warning for wind will be in place from 9pm on Saturday until 9pm on Sunday.
The Met Office said: “Very strong westerly winds associated with Storm Boelo are expected with fairly widespread gusts of 60 to 70 mph and gusts to 80 mph in exposed coastal areas.
“The strongest winds will initially affect western Scotland and far north of Northern Ireland on Saturday evening and then spread eastwards overnight and through Sunday. High winds will be accompanied by periods of heavy rain and frequent showers.
“Whilst high winds are expected across a wider area with a yellow warning in force, there is a higher confidence in impacts and disruption taking place within this amber warning area. The winds will gradually ease from the west through Sunday.”
The meteorological service has warned that “flying debris” and “some damage to buildings and trees” is “likely”, and added that power cuts may occur in the area covered by the amber weather warning.
There is also a warning that there will be disruption to transport during the storm weather.
ScotRail has said services from Aberdeen to Edinburgh and Glasgow Central to Edinburgh may face speed restriction or cancellations, while Network Rail said speed restrictions will also be in place on parts of the East Coast Main Line between Edinburgh Waverley and London King’s Cross, as well as routes in eastern Scotland.
Those travelling are being warned to plan ahead of their journey.
Craig Gorman, head of operational weather strategy at Network Rail Scotland, said: “We know any disruption from these storms will be frustrating, particularly as it’s the weekend, but we’ll do everything we can to keep people moving wherever it’s safe to do so.”
Mark Ilderton, ScotRail service delivery director, said: “Safety is always our top priority, and with weather warnings in place as Storm Austen and Storm Boelo bring heavy rain and strong winds to parts of Scotland this weekend, there is an increased risk of flooding and disruption on the railway.
“We’ll have staff working around the clock to support Network Rail’s efforts and keep people moving safely wherever possible. We’d encourage customers to plan ahead and check the ScotRail app, website, or our social media channels for the latest travel information before setting off.”
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has also introduced 11 flood alerts across the country.
SEPA said in its update: “Significant impacts from river flooding are possible throughout Friday and into the early hours of Saturday due to Storm Austen bringing persistent and heavy rainfall to the region.
“Impacts could include flooding of roads, properties and parts of communities and significant disruption to transport and infrastructure.”