Gales disrupt roads and shipping while blizzards hit the cairngorms
A TASTE of winter came to the north of Scotland yesterday, with gales disrupting shipping and a snow falling on the higher mountains.
Weather conditions around the west and north coasts were so fierce that few ferries were sailing, bringing traffic disruption and stranding travellers.
The west coast took a battering from high seas, and CalMac was forced to cancel 12 ferry sailings, including between Oban and the isles and Ullapool and Stornoway.
A further nine services experienced disruption throughout the day. At one point only six vessels were plying the CalMac routes.
Despite strong winds, Northern Constabulary reported no structural damage to trees or buildings
But the Skye and Kessock bridges were closed to high-sided vehicles. Heavy surface water on most roads posed a hazard for drivers.
The A83 Oban-Lochgilphead road was closed for more than an hour while efforts were made to recover a lorry that had earlier been involved in an accident.
Snowplough
Warnings were issued to hillwalkers as the Cairngorm tops were swept by 150mph winds creating blizzard conditions.
Ski centre spokesman Colin Kirkwood said: “We have had a bit of snow and signs are hopeful of another good ski-ing season if it continues. We even had the snowplough out at one stage.”
The rest of the Highlands were hit by regular gusts of around 40-60mph, said the Met Office. A spokesman said similar weather was forecast for the next couple of days.
An injured teenage fisherman was forced to wait 10 hours for hospital treatment after a rescue attempt was abandoned in the “horrendous” conditions.
The 19-year-old suffered back injuries and a fractured ankle aboard the Inverness-registered Adventurer II, which was 30 miles west of the isolated St Kilda archipelago in the Atlantic.
Stornoway Coastguard scrambled its search and rescue helicopter at about 11.20pm on Tuesday and it arrived on the scene around an hour later.
Once there, weather conditions made it impossible for the winchman to be lowered on to the deck of the boat, being pounded by 70mph winds in 30ft seas. The rescue was abandoned and the skipper of the Adventurer II told to head back towards the Butt of Lewis so the trawler was more sheltered for a second pick-up attempt.
The helicopter was scrambled again at about 10am yesterday and the injured man airlifted to Stornoway Airport.
He was then taken the short distance by ambulance to Western Isles Hospital.
Read more: http://www.pressandjournal.co.
Read more: http://www.pressandjournal.co.
Thursday, 26 November 2009
Stormy winter weather causes havoc
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