WINDS of up to 116mph caused disruption to ferries, school closures and rail services to be suspended as more than 3,000 homes were still without power after Storm Caroline hit Scotland.
Huge waves made it impossible for the ferry MV Hamnavoe to berth in Stromness or Scrabster in Caithness and the vessel was forced to shelter overnight off Orkney in the more secluded Scapa Flow.
Flights were cancelled while dozens of schools are closed across the north of the country, and local rail services suspended with a 91mph gust recorded at Dounreay.
The highest wind speed yesterday was 116mph 4,000 ft up Cairn Gorm.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said power has been restored to more than 13,000 customers by 7pm, with the Western Isles, north-west Highlands, Caithness, Moray, north-east Aberdeenshire, Orkney and Shetland the worst affected areas.
Engineers hoped to have power for the vast majority of customers back up before the end of the night, with 3,000 homes, including 1,300 in Shetland still without power at 7pm.
In Stornoway, where a 73mph gust was recorded, fisherman Vojta Veszpremi and his son, Tobias, four, wore crash helmets as he attached the boy to a rope to stop him being blown away. The local father said: “I wanted to show Tobias some waves and make sure the storm would not blow him away or that we would get hurt by flying debris.”
Met Office meteorologist John West said: “Storm Caroline is well on its way across northern parts of the UK.
“There will be devastating winds in some parts. More broadly across Scotland there will be 60mph-70mph gusts, but in exposed areas we could see 90mph.”
ScotRail urged householders to tether trampolines after one blew onto the track blocking the line at Patterton, East Renfrewshire.
A yellow “be aware” warning remained force for the southern half of Scotland. All schools in Lewis, Harris and Uist were closed to pupils yesterday as a precaution while 31 primary schools, five secondary schools and 19 nurseries in the Highland Council area and two schools in Aberdeenshire shut.
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