Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) moved to Weather Warning status in the north of Scotland on 18 October 2024 ahead of Storm Ashley, which the network said would bring strong winds on Sunday 20 and Monday 21 October1. A second SSEN notice published on 19 October described the same event as Yellow Alert status, with gale force winds forecast over the same two days2.
SSEN's weather model put winds of 55-60mph on the west coast of mainland Scotland from Kintyre to Skye, Skye and the Western Isles from around 6am on Sunday, with gusts of 70mph across Sutherland, the Western Isles and Skye possible later in the afternoon1. Gusts of 50-55mph were forecast across much of the north of Scotland, and winds with gusts of 60-65mph were expected to affect Orkney and Shetland later on Sunday and into Monday1. The 19 October notice gave winds of around 50mph on the west coast from around 6am, gusts of 60-65mph across much of the north of Scotland, and the potential for gusts of up to 60mph across Perthshire, Aberdeenshire and the Moray coast2.
The Met Office named the storm Ashley. An Amber Warning for wind was in place from 9am on Sunday for the Western Isles, the West Coast, Islay, Skye and parts of Argyll, and a Yellow Warning for wind remained for the whole of Scotland from 3am on Sunday1.
"We're moving to Weather Warning status in the north of Scotland ahead of Storm Ashley, which will bring strong winds on Sunday 20 and Monday 21 October."
SSEN said it was activating well-rehearsed plans, with teams in place to deal with network faults and repair damage, and that its customer contact centres were fully prepared to take calls1. It said it had been telephoning its most vulnerable customers ahead of the storm and had already sent out nearly 40,000 text messages to other people listed on its Priority Services Register1. The register is open to customers who are deaf or hard of hearing, have a disability, live with children under five, are blind or partially sighted, have a chronic illness, use medical equipment or aids reliant on electricity, or are over 601. SSEN said all its priority services are free1.
| Warning | Area | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Met Office Amber, wind | Western Isles, West Coast, Islay, Skye, parts of Argyll | From 9am Sunday1 |
| Met Office Yellow, wind | Whole of Scotland | From 3am Sunday1 |
Why it matters for households
A storm of this severity is a test of supply security for homes in the north of Scotland, where the network is exposed to high winds and where faults can leave properties without power for extended periods. SSEN's own figures show the areas at greatest risk, and the company has said it will issue further updates depending on the forecast1. For a household, the practical exposure is the loss of mains electricity: heating controls, refrigeration, broadband and any medical equipment that runs on mains power all depend on the same supply. SSEN's Priority Services Register exists for customers in the categories it lists, and the network has already contacted many of them directly1. Households that have arranged backup power are less exposed to a multi-day outage, though the sources do not report how long any restoration might take. SSEN's Power Track map carries fault and restoration information, and the emergency power cut number is 1051.
What happens next
SSEN said it would continue to watch the weather closely as it develops and would issue further updates depending on the forecast1. The Amber Warning runs from 9am on Sunday, and the Yellow Warning for the whole of Scotland from 3am on Sunday1. Winds with gusts of 60-65mph are expected to affect Orkney and Shetland later on Sunday and into Monday1. No restoration times or expected fault numbers have been reported.