Schools to close as red warning issued in Scotland

A fallen tree in Linlithgow during Storm Isha in January last year

Schools across central and southern Scotland will close on Friday and people have been told not to travel as a rare red weather warning for high winds has been issued ahead of Storm Éowyn.

The Met Office said winds could reach 100mph in exposed western coasts and that there could be a risk to life due to flying debris, power cuts and damage to buildings.

The red warning will run from 10:00 to 17:00 on Friday and covers a large chunk of the central belt including Glasgow, Edinburgh, some islands and parts of south west Scotland.

Schools in several council areas, including Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Dumfries & Galloway, Scottish Borders, Angus and across Ayrshire, have already been confirmed to close, with other councils expected to follow suit.

The gusts are expected to create very dangerous driving conditions and cause significant disruption to all travel.

ScotRail has already announced that all trains will be cancelled on Friday, while CalMac and Northlink said ferry services are likely to be cancelled or delayed.

ScotRail said: "There will be no train services, and no alternative transport will be available.

"It follows a further review of the weather forecasts, which shows that the conditions will be much worse in many areas than earlier forecasts had predicted."

Outside of the red warning area, the rest of Scotland will be covered by amber and yellow alerts for wind and snow for much of the day:

• A red warning for wind across central Scotland, Tayside, Fife, south west Scotland, Lothian, Borders and Strathclyde regions lasts from 10:00 until 17:00 on Friday

• An amber warning for wind covering everywhere north of Perth, including Orkney and Shetland, lasts from 06:00 on Friday until 06:00 on Saturday

• Another amber warning for wind covering everywhere south of Perth, though sweeping up the west coast encompassing the Isle of Mull, lasts from 06:00 until 21:00 on Friday. This will include the areas affected by the red alert after 17:00

• A yellow warning for snow, starting at 06:00 on Friday until midnight, covers parts of central Scotland, Tayside, Fife, Grampian, the Highlands and islands and Argyll & Bute

Further amber and yellow weather warnings are in place for part of Scotland on Saturday.

First Minister John Swinney told parliament that Police Scotland would issue a formal "do not travel" advisory notice and that the government's resilience and emergency system (SGoRR) had been activated, while Holyrood itself will be closed.

A spokesperson for East Ayrshire Council said it was a difficult decision to close all schools, early learning centres and education hubs, but that "safety of children and young people is paramount".

Glasgow City Council later announced closures on X, adding that schools and nurseries would provide further updates, and Glasgow University have cancelled all classes.

'Likely danger to life'

Storm Éowyn - the first named storm of the year in the UK - will see winds rapidly increase from west to east throughout Friday morning into the afternoon, according to the Met Office.

Peak gusts of 80-90mph are expected to impact fairly widely in areas covered by the alert.

The weather service's chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: "We reserve the issuing of red warnings for the most severe weather which represents a likely danger to life and severe disruption, and that is the case with Storm Éowyn.

"While it will be widely very windy on Friday, with additional hazards from rain and snow, the strongest winds and most significant impacts are likely in Northern Ireland and central and southwestern parts of Scotland within the red warning areas."

The Met Office added winds will gradually ease throughout Friday evening.

Travel warning

Police Scotland's head of road policing Hilary Sloan said it was "very important" people do not travel, with driving conditions likely to be treacherous and severe disruption to public transport.

Train company Avanti West Coast - which runs cross-border trains - warned that passengers should not travel north of Preston, while Transpenine Express said it was "urging" customers not to travel to Scotland and LNER advised travellers to avoid going north of York.

On social media rail operator ScotRail said it was "working with industry partners" to determine what action to take.

A number of bridges, including the Forth Road Bridge, will implement speed restrictions.

Flood gates at Broughty Ferry and Riverside in Dundee will be closed later due to the expected conditions.

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution urged people living near the coast to "stay vigilant" in the conditions.

Michael Avril, the organisation's water safety lead for Scotland, said: "If you plan to visit the coast, the RNLI advises that you stay a safe distance from the water as conditions could knock you off your feet or wash you into the sea.

"It is not worth risking your life."

Glasgow Warriors rugby team had already moved their Friday night fixture with Connacht to Sunday as a result of the warnings, while Caledonia Gladiators basketball team postponed their fixture against Leicester Riders.

Entertainment venues such as the Glasgow Science Centre and the Glasgow Film Theatre announced they would be closed on Friday, though the latter said it hoped to open at 18:00.