Storm Boelo: Edinburgh told to hunker down as 70mph winds threaten major weekend disruption
Several attractions in Edinburgh have been closed due to the weather
Edinburgh is to batten down the hatches this weekend as the second named storm in two days is set to bring winds of up to 70 mph to the Capital.
Storm Boelo has forced attractions across the city to close for all or part of the weekend after the Met Office issued a 24-hour amber weather warning by the Met Office starting from 9pm on Saturday, October 24.
Pumpkin patches have been forced to close their gates during what should be one of their busiest weekends, the last before Halloween.
Craigie’s Farm Shop and Cafe and the pumpkin patch at the Balgone Estate have announced they will close on Sunday, while Vogrie Pumpkin Forest at Vogrie Country Park will be closed for the duration of Saturday and Sunday.
Conifer Adventure Park’s Halloween Pumpkin Festival has also been postponed for both Saturday and Sunday.
The forecasted high winds have also affected the likes of Edinburgh Castle and Princes Street Gardens.
The castle is set to be closed on Sunday, with visitors on Saturday urged to check the website before travelling to the castle.
Edinburgh council announced that three parks - Princes Street Gardens, Lauriston Castle grounds and Laughton Winter Gardens - will be closed for the entire weekend starting from 4pm on Friday. It added that they would reopen “as soon as it is safe to do so” on Monday.
Celebrations for the Hindu festival Dussehra on Calton Hill have moved to Granton College, while organisers continue to monitor Hibs clash at home against Celtic on Sunday.
The Scottish Government has activated its emergency response unit ahead of the storm, following a day of heavy rainfall as Storm Austen arrived on Friday.
Shirley-Anne Somerville, social justice and housing secretary, said: “Much of Scotland will experience very high winds this weekend, and people should be aware of the potential impacts of the Met Office’s amber alert, which includes transport and power disruption.
“The wind, coupled with the rain brought by Storm Austen, means that travel conditions could be dangerous and I would urge anyone planning travel to check their journey and follow all relevant advice before setting off.
“Our resilience and emergency system, SGORR, has now been activated to co-ordinate our response, and I am grateful for the work of partners across the country to keep everyone safe.
“SGORR will continue to monitor the situation closely over the weekend and provide regular updates to the public.”
Friday’s storm already bought much disruption as motorists across Edinburgh were hit with significant delays.
Trains from Edinburgh to Glasgow Central were already temporarily cancelled on Friday afternoon due to flooding on the tracks.
And more travel disruption is expected over the weekend, with drivers encouraged to travel only if “really necessary” and train services expected to be affected.
Network Rail has put speed restrictions in place across the country from late on Saturday night out of concern that Boelo’s strong winds could bring trees and other debris onto the tracks and damage railway equipment.
Rail lines in parts of west and north of Scotland will be closed as a result.
Police Scotland are encouraging drivers to plan ahead and only to travel if “really necessary”.
A spokesperson said: “The Amber warning for wind means there is a high risk of disruption on the road network and travel conditions may be hazardous.
“Stopping distances can be at least double on wet roads compared to dry conditions, and spray can reduce driver visibility.
“If you need to travel, please drive to the conditions and allow extra time for your journey.”
Craig Gorman, head of operational weather strategy at Network Rail Scotland, said: ““We know closing lines and slowing trains will have a significant impact on people’s plans this weekend, and these aren’t decisions we take lightly.
“But when we’re facing weather of this scale, we have to put safety first and make sensible calls before conditions deteriorate.”
The Met Office are encouraging the public to stay inside as much as possible to avoid the risk of injury from high winds and flying debris.
It also suggests that people gather torches, batteries, power banks and other essentials prepared in case of power cuts.