NorthLink cancel sailings between Aberdeen, Orkney and Shetland
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NorthLink ferries have cancelled sailings today between Aberdeen and Orkney and Shetland.
Cancellations tomorrow are said to be looking very likely.
Pentland and Orkney ferries have also said there will be no sailings today and into Friday.
CalMac ferries are at "heightened risk of disruption".
Forth Road Bridge closed due to high winds
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The Forth Road Bridge has been closed as winds pick up across central Scotland.
There are speed restrictions on the Clackmannanshire Bridge and motorists are being told to take care while crossing the Dornoch, Skye and Erskine bridges.
Rest centres and food vans to be set up
BBCCopyright: BBC
It's feared that some communities could suffer power cuts due to high winds and flooding and, in the worst cases, be cut off for several days.
We are already hearing that the Binghill Road area of Miltimber on the outskirts of Aberdeen has been blacked out.
Rest centres and food vans are be set up for affected Aberdeenshire communities
where necessary, the BBC's Robbie Boyle tells the Good Morning Scotland radio programme.
Aberdeenshire Council has also backed calls for people not to travel while the red warning is in place.
'Stay at home' if you live in the worst affected areas
As we have been reporting already, widespread travel disruption is expected across parts of Scotland for at least the next two days.
And Scotland's deputy first minister has now urged people in the worst affected areas to stay at home as Storm Babet bares its teeth.
Shona Robison said: "Red warnings are rarely issued by the Met Office and this reflects how serious the impacts will be from the exceptional weather we can expect - particularly in the north east of Scotland in the next two days.
"The strong message is that if you are in the parts of Angus and South Aberdeenshire affected - please stay at home and do not travel."
Amber and yellow warnings for wind and rain cover other parts of the UK.
Rail services already cancelled
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You can expect plenty of disruption to the travel network as the storm builds over the next couple of days.
They are Perth-Aberdeen via Dundee, Perth-Aviemore (Highland main line), Perth-Dunblane, Aberdeen-Elgin (Aberdeen- Inverness line), Tain-Wick/Thurso (Far North line), and Fife Circle services.
The cancellations will also affect services between Glasgow Queen Street and Aberdeen and Inverness, and between Edinburgh Waverley and Aberdeen and Inverness.
Red weather warning means 'danger to life'
The Met Office took the relatively unusual step of confirming on Wednesday that it would be issuing a red weather alert for parts of Scotland on Thursday and Friday.
The red warning states there is "danger to life from fast flowing or deep floodwater".
The areas expected to be worst affected are Angus and Aberdeenshire.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage as Storm Babet looks set to cause widespread disruption across large parts of the UK.
A red weather warning for "unprecedented" heavy rainfall and severe wind has been issued for parts of Scotland - with Angus and Aberdeenshire expected to be the worse affected.
An amber warning for rain covers parts of Stirling, Perthshire, Aviemore, Moray Aberdeen City.
Meanwhile, yellow severe weather warnings of wind and rain have also been issued for Northern Ireland and northern and eastern areas of England.
The red weather alert kicks in from 18:00 on Thursday until noon on Friday, but we will be here to provide you with all the travel and weather updates until then and beyond.
Live Reporting
Edited by Paul McLaren and Mary McCool
All times stated are UK
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All Angus Council schools to close at lunchtime
Angus Council has confirmed all schools in the region will close at lunchtime today and remain closed tomorrow.
A number of nurseries based in school buildings in Aberdeenshire are also shut today. There is more information from the council here.
NorthLink cancel sailings between Aberdeen, Orkney and Shetland
NorthLink ferries have cancelled sailings today between Aberdeen and Orkney and Shetland.
Cancellations tomorrow are said to be looking very likely.
Pentland and Orkney ferries have also said there will be no sailings today and into Friday.
CalMac ferries are at "heightened risk of disruption".
Forth Road Bridge closed due to high winds
The Forth Road Bridge has been closed as winds pick up across central Scotland.
There are speed restrictions on the Clackmannanshire Bridge and motorists are being told to take care while crossing the Dornoch, Skye and Erskine bridges.
Rest centres and food vans to be set up
It's feared that some communities could suffer power cuts due to high winds and flooding and, in the worst cases, be cut off for several days.
We are already hearing that the Binghill Road area of Miltimber on the outskirts of Aberdeen has been blacked out.
Rest centres and food vans are be set up for affected Aberdeenshire communities where necessary, the BBC's Robbie Boyle tells the Good Morning Scotland radio programme.
Aberdeenshire Council has also backed calls for people not to travel while the red warning is in place.
'Stay at home' if you live in the worst affected areas
As we have been reporting already, widespread travel disruption is expected across parts of Scotland for at least the next two days.
And Scotland's deputy first minister has now urged people in the worst affected areas to stay at home as Storm Babet bares its teeth.
Shona Robison said: "Red warnings are rarely issued by the Met Office and this reflects how serious the impacts will be from the exceptional weather we can expect - particularly in the north east of Scotland in the next two days.
"The strong message is that if you are in the parts of Angus and South Aberdeenshire affected - please stay at home and do not travel."
Amber and yellow warnings for wind and rain cover other parts of the UK.
Rail services already cancelled
You can expect plenty of disruption to the travel network as the storm builds over the next couple of days.
ScotRail has already cancelled services on several routes in Scotland on Thursday and Friday.
They are Perth-Aberdeen via Dundee, Perth-Aviemore (Highland main line), Perth-Dunblane, Aberdeen-Elgin (Aberdeen- Inverness line), Tain-Wick/Thurso (Far North line), and Fife Circle services.
The cancellations will also affect services between Glasgow Queen Street and Aberdeen and Inverness, and between Edinburgh Waverley and Aberdeen and Inverness.
Red weather warning means 'danger to life'
The Met Office took the relatively unusual step of confirming on Wednesday that it would be issuing a red weather alert for parts of Scotland on Thursday and Friday.
The red warning states there is "danger to life from fast flowing or deep floodwater".
The areas expected to be worst affected are Angus and Aberdeenshire.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage as Storm Babet looks set to cause widespread disruption across large parts of the UK.
A red weather warning for "unprecedented" heavy rainfall and severe wind has been issued for parts of Scotland - with Angus and Aberdeenshire expected to be the worse affected.
An amber warning for rain covers parts of Stirling, Perthshire, Aviemore, Moray Aberdeen City.
Meanwhile, yellow severe weather warnings of wind and rain have also been issued for Northern Ireland and northern and eastern areas of England.
The red weather alert kicks in from 18:00 on Thursday until noon on Friday, but we will be here to provide you with all the travel and weather updates until then and beyond.