AN easyJet flight bound for Scotland was forced to divert as ferocious winds brought by Storm Ashley battered the country.
Almost 50 flood warnings remain in place after the first named storm of the season blew in on Sunday, bringing heavy rain to some places.
Some roads remain closed this morning due to fallen trees, while disruption continues to affect ferry services with a number of sailings cancelled.
The storm has now mainly passed over Scotland, with a high winds alert issued on Sunday due to expire at nine am on Monday.
The height of the storm saw several flights to and from Glasgow Airport cancelled, while the new Govan–Partick bridge was closed due to the high winds.
Winds of 53mph were recorded at Glasgow's Bishopton weather station, with gusts of 54mph recorded at Prestwick Airport.
Sunday was an unsettled day across the UK as #StormAshley moved through 👇 pic.twitter.com/EDSmnX3DAC
— Met Office (@metoffice) October 20, 2024
The highest winds in the UK were recorded at Tiree Airport, Argyll and Bute, around 9pm last night, when a gust of 78mph was felt, according to Met Office data.
The ferocious gusts forced a jet making its way north to divert.
EasyJet flight EZY236N was set to bring passengers to Edinburgh from Luton Airport.
It took off around 4.30pm and started making its way north. But the flight was forced to reroute after wind speeds were too high for it to land.
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The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) warned that flooding is focused on the north west and the Solway Firth.
It has issued ten flood alerts for several areas, including West Central Scotland, which includes Glasgow.
A total of 47 more serious food warnings have been issued, centred on Dumfries and Galloway, Orkney and the Western Isles.
Due to high winds and heavy rain from #StormAshley, Regional Flood Alerts and local Flood Warnings are in place across Scotland tonight and tomorrow.
— SEPAFlood (@SEPAFlood) October 20, 2024
Of particular concern are communities on islands off the west coast, Orkney, and the exposed west and south west facing… pic.twitter.com/izJTwWIOtG
SEPA said it will continue to review and issue regional Flood Alerts and local Flood Warnings across the next few days as the situation develops.
Catherine Evans, SEPA's Flood Duty Manager, said on Sunday: "Scotland will experience the impacts from Storm Ashley this evening and into tomorrow (Monday) morning. Coastal flooding will impact communities along the west coast and the islands, due to already high water levels combined with strong winds and large waves.
"While the risk is most significant around high tide times, our message continues to be: take extra care if you are near the coast at any point and stay clear of waves and water.
“Be careful when travelling around exposed coastal areas. Don't walk or drive through flood water as there may be hidden hazards.”
"We advise people to sign up to Floodline to receive free updates for where they live, or travel through, directly to their phone. People can also check our flood updates for all the latest information and view the three-day Scottish Flood Forecast to see what conditions are expected further ahead."
The Met Office said winds will ease slightly as Storm Ashley moves north-east on Monday, with a mix of scattered showers and sunny spells expected in its wake.
More frequent rain may be expected in the south-east.
The weather is likely to turn “unsettled” later in the week, bringing possible heavy rain and strong winds once more.
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