The Met Office has issued an Amber Weather Warning for Wind for most of Scotland, in place from 1000 to 2300, as Storm Floris moves across the country1. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), which runs the electricity distribution network in the north of Scotland, said it had mounted a large response and expected disruption to the electricity network1.
SSEN said the storm's track had shifted over several days and projected wind gust speeds had increased, with gusts now possible as high as 100mph in exposed areas1. Its earlier statement, published on 3 August, had put possible gusts in exposed areas at 90mph and gave the Amber warning period as 1000 to 22002. The two statements also differ on the extent of the warnings: the 3 August statement said lesser Yellow Wind Warnings for the whole of the country remained in place from 0600 on Monday2, while the 4 August statement said a lesser Yellow Wind Warning for the whole of the country was due to remain in place until the end of tonight, with a separate Yellow Wind Warning for Orkney and Shetland in place from midnight on Tuesday through to 08001.
Argyll, the Highlands, the Western Isles, Perthshire, Angus, Moray and Aberdeenshire are likely to experience the strongest winds, and the Aberdeenshire area could see sustained storm-force winds tonight and into the early hours of Tuesday1. SSEN said it had been operating at its heightened Yellow Alert status over the weekend, had brought in several hundred extra team members, cancelled planned network maintenance so repairs could be prioritised, and added staff to its control room and customer contact centre1. Additional tree-cutting teams are ready to help engineers reach faults, as trees in full leaf are at greater risk in high winds1.
SSEN said text messages had already been sent to over 100,000 of its more vulnerable customers, and that individual telephone calls were made on Sunday to the most vulnerable people in the areas expected to be worst hit1. Its Priority Services 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.
"Storm Floris is a relatively rare summer storm, and the weather forecast suggests it'll have the potential to cause significant disruption to power supplies throughout today, and into the early hours of Tuesday."
Why it matters for households
A power cut removes the services a home depends on for heating, cooking, lighting, refrigeration and communications at the same time, and the effect is greater for households that rely on electricity for medical equipment or aids1. Households in the areas forecast to see the strongest winds face the highest likelihood of losing supply, and SSEN has said disruption is expected1. The warning covers most of Scotland, so the exposure is not confined to the north of Scotland network area1.
For a home's energy independence, the practical position is that stored or generated electricity and the ability to run essential equipment without a grid supply are what determine how a cut is experienced. SSEN has not reported any specific guidance on domestic generation or storage in these statements, and no figures for the number of properties expected to lose supply have been reported1. Advice services differ across the UK; the nations hub sets out how they compare, including Home Energy Scotland versus Northern Ireland energy advice services.
What happens next
The Amber warning runs until 2300 today, with the lesser Yellow warning for the whole country due to remain until the end of tonight1. A separate Yellow Wind Warning for Orkney and Shetland is in place from midnight on Tuesday through to 08001. SSEN said it would continue to monitor the severe weather closely and issue further updates2. Faults can be reported by calling 105 or through SSEN's Power Track website or app1.