Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has this morning moved to Yellow Alert in response to unsettled weather conditions in the north of Scotland.
Named yesterday by Met Eireann, Storm Aiden is the first named storm of the year and brings strong winds and heavy rain from the west this morning. SSEN's updated weather model shows the low pressure front has moved south, bringing a significant increase in wind speeds and gusts over the course of the day before easing overnight. As of 10am, wind speeds have been recorded at 60mph in Campbeltown, Mull and Tiree with winds on South Uist reaching 67mph this morning.
The main areas that are due to be impacted are in the west, with gusts of up to 80mph forecast for the Western Isles and potentially reaching 85mph in Argyll and the West Highlands. Gusts of 65-70mph are widely expected across the north of Scotland throughout the course of the day, peaking from 3pm until the early evening.
On Sunday morning, another weather system moves in from the west, with gusts expected to reach 70mph across western areas, and 60mph in Aberdeenshire. The system moves north over the course of the day with wind speeds expected to decrease and return to lower levels overnight.
The sustained nature of the weather conditions has the potential to result in a number of faults across SSEN's network area. In response, SSEN has enacted its well-established resilience plans, increasing its standby resources in anticipation of any potential damage.
In addition, SSEN's customer service teams have proactively contacted 54,000 customers on the Priority Services Register to offer extra assistance, where required.
Mark Rough, Director of Customer Operations at SSEN, said:
"We'd like to reassure our customers we are well prepared for the high winds and heavy rain expected in the north of Scotland over the course of this weekend. We've been monitoring the weather for a number of days now and have teams of engineers ready to respond promptly to any damage to our network."
"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 urging people to not 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 power cuts 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
SSEN's Priority Services Register offers free, additional support during a power cut. Customers are eligible to register if they:
- 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/aids reliant on electricity
- Are over 60
- Are categorised at 'high risk' or 'extremely high risk' of severe illness from coronavirus
For more information on the Priority Services Register, click here or call 0800 294 3259.