Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has today moved to Weather Warning in preparation for high winds that are forecast to impact its north of Scotland network region on Friday this week. The weather front has officially been named as Storm Callum and is the third named storm of the autumn/winter season.
SSEN's current weather model shows a period of gale force winds that are due to impact the north of Scotland from the early hours of Friday morning, continuing throughout the day before dropping off in the evening. The main areas that are due to be impacted are in the west, with gusts of up to 70mph predicted for the Western Isles and coastal areas in Argyll and the West Highlands. Highland Perthshire may also experience gusts of up to 60mph in the early hours of Friday afternoon, with other areas across the north of Scotland likely to see gusts of up to 55mph throughout the day.
The combination of the weather conditions has the potential to result in a number of faults across the main areas affected, particularly as trees are still in leaf which, combined with the recent heavy rainfall, pose an increasing risk of causing damage by falling onto SSEN's overhead network.
SSEN has enacted its well-established resilience plans, increasing its standby resources in anticipation of potential damage. SSEN is proactively contacting customers on its Priority Services Register to offer extra assistance where required and is liaising with local resilience partners to help coordinate efforts and ensure that everyone is prepared for any interruption to supplies should they occur.
Colin Pirie, Head of Region for the Highlands and Islands, said:
"I would like to reassure our customers we are well prepared for the high winds forecast for later this week and are increasing our resources accordingly. Our tried and tested resilience plans have been activated and we stand ready to respond promptly to any damage to our network this week's bad weather may bring. I would encourage anyone concerned about the potential disruption to supplies for themselves or others, particularly family members or neighbours who may need extra support, to give our teams a call on 105."
SSEN is also encouraging its customers not to approach any damage to its equipment and instead, report it to SSEN by calling 105 or via its Power Track App and engineers will investigate as soon as possible.
Customers are also being encouraged to be prepared for the possibility of disruption to supplies by:
- Saving the emergency power cut number '105' to your phone to report any loss of supply or damage to the electricity network
- Downloading SSEN's Power Track app to give you details of power cuts and restoration times. You can also report power cuts and network damage through the Power Track app
- Going to SSEN's website where there is a wealth of advice and information on how to deal with a power cut, or to chat live to one of SSEN's advisors via its Webchat service
- Following SSEN on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates
Customers can register for SSEN's Priority Services Register (PSR) if they require extra assistance. People can qualify for the PSR if they:
- Are dependent on electricity for home medical care
- Have a chronic illness or short term medical condition
- Are disabled
- Have special communication needs
- Have children under the age of five
- Are over the age of 60
To find out more about the PSR, click here or call 0800 294 3259.