Power restored to homes in Storm Jocelyn aftermath

This tree fell on an electricity substation on the Kinnaird estate in Larbert during Storm Isha

Power has been restored to thousands of homes in Scotland in the aftermath of Storm Jocelyn.

Around 7,000 properties across Dumfries and Galloway and a further 2,000 in the north of Scotland had been without power after the extreme weather.

Gusts reached up to 74mph in South Uist as the storm swept across the country.

ScotRail said 95% of services were able to resume after morning safety checks were carried out by Network Rail engineers.

A Met Office yellow wind warning expired at 15:00.

• Man dies after Storm Isha causes major disruption

• Storm Isha forces UK flights to divert to France and Germany

Forecasters expect winds to gradually ease from the south as Storm Jocelyn moves away from the UK towards Scandinavia.

More than 40 schools in the Highlands closed or opened late, while 18 schools in Dumfries and Galloway were also shut after power failures.

A spokeswoman for SP Energy Networks said the power failures in Dumfries and Galloway were partly caused by damage to a transmission line.

Guy Jefferson, chief operating officer for SP Energy Networks, praised a "colossal team effort" to resolve the storm damage.

He added: "We understand the impact of a power cut on our customers and thank them for their support and recognition of the challenging conditions facing our teams as they worked round the clock to restore supplies.

"In some areas, trees were literally falling around them while they battled the elements to get the job done."

Louise Kerr, who lives in the Machars area and works in Stranraer, said the power had gone out around 06:00 and that nearly every shop had been forced to close.

She added: "There's no way anyone can do any business unless they have a generator."

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution stated that they had restored power to nearly every affected customer in northern Scotland.

Rail staff give advice on Wednesday morning at Edinburgh Waverley station with all trains suspended

Andy Smith, operations director at SSEN Distribution, said that the network had "held up well".

He added: "Our teams have worked hard in challenging conditions all day to reconnect customers.

As part of SSEN's support package, customers who have been without power for more than 12 hours are entitled to £30 per person for every day off supply, to cover the cost of food and drink.

Nearly all rail services resumed by midday, including trains from Glasgow to Edinburgh and Dundee, and from Inverness to Aberdeen.

Phil Campbell, ScotRail's customer operations director, told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme that the operator had no choice but to close the network on Tuesday evening because of the high winds forecast.

A trampoline was found on train tracks near Livingston

He said the decision was "critical" in order to allow Network Rail to thoroughly check the routes for safety issues.

"We just had Storm Isha and now Storm Jocelyn has come in - those storms put together have weakened infrastructure and we've seen significant debris on the line," he said.

Any tickets dated from 20 January will be valid until 26 January.

In Rhiconich wind blew the line off and it burnt the pole

A number of CalMac ferry services resumed throughout Wednesday, after some early sailings were suspended or cancelled.

It said updates on individual sailings could be found on its social media channels and website.

Finlay MacRae, head of operations at CalMac, said: "It's a challenging and difficult time for communities, with travel and supply chain interrupted throughout prolonged periods of adverse weather.

"The safety of our crews, port staff and the customers we serve is our priority. We are always grateful to the communities who use the network for their patience and understanding during storms."

People slept on benches at Edinburgh Waverley while waiting for services to resume

By Wednesday afternoon, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) had 21 flood warnings and eight alerts in place.

A rare red danger to life warning had previously been issued by the Met Office for north east Scotland on Sunday night.

An 84-year-old man died in Grangemouth after a car he was travelling in hit a fallen tree.

Jocelyn is the 10th named storm to hit the UK since September.

A yacht was blown ashore at Fortrose on the Black Isle