Amber alert due in Scotland with warnings winds could reach 85mph ScotRail has warned members of the public about the major disruption facing passengers today because of Storm Floris, which it says will “bring unseasonably strong and disruptive winds” across all parts of Scotland on Monday. A yellow warning for wind for northern parts of the UK became active at 6am on Monday and will last until 6am on Tuesday. The warnings have been upgraded to amber for much of Scotland and will be in effect from 10am to 10pm. The strongest winds are expected to be across the western Isles and the north of mainland Scotland. Blanket 50mph speed restrictions will be implemented from Network Rail across all ScotRail’s routes because of the poor weather conditions. This will mean fewer normal services and the complete closure of some lines. Other routes will see their last service run at around midday today. ScotRail is advising passengers to check their journeys in advance online or via its app so they don’t get caught up in the disruption. Network Rail engineers will inspect the closed lines for any damage once the storm has passed so services will start later on Tuesday across affected routes. Remember this is summertime: people are milling around on holiday, bank holiday in Scotland, for example. So some ‘summer articles’, if you like, in gardens, on the beaches, are all going to be there: slides, picnic tables, swings, all ready to be thrown around by the wind. That’s the danger that we’ve got at this moment in time. Continue reading...