Woman killed by falling tree blown over by Storm Malik winds
A woman has been killed by a falling tree as strong winds from Storm Malik batter northern parts of the UK.
A 60-year-old woman was fatally wounded by an uprooted tree in Aberdeen, Police Scotland confirmed.
Weather warnings are in place across all of Scotland, northern England and parts of Northern Ireland for most of Saturday due to the high winds and rain.
Winds of more than 100mph have been reported in parts of Scotland, with widespread disruption to travel and power supplies.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Emergency services were called to Deveron Road in Aberdeen around 10.30am on Saturday January 29 to reports of a sudden death of a 60-year-old woman. There are no suspicious circumstances.”
On Saturday morning, meteorologist for the broadcaster STV Sean Batty tweeted: “Had an extreme gust of 147mph recorded on the Cairngorm summit an hour ago.
“This is an incredible strength, but still a way off from the record of 173mph recorded back in 1986.”
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: "Tragically, the very severe weather has resulted in loss of life today. My thoughts and condolences are with those affected."
Power supplies and mobile phone coverage affected
Northern Powergrid said: “Storm Malik is causing disruption to our network as it continues to move across our operating area.
“Our teams are responding, restoring power through alternative routes on our network where possible, assessing damage and co-ordinating repairs wherever conditions permit.”
SP Energy Networks, the company responsible for electricity transmission in central and southern Scotland, issued safety advice around potential power cuts.
It said customers should keep a battery or wind-up torch to hand and keep mobile phones fully charged, and people should also beware of fallen power lines.
Ms Sturgeon tweeted: "Power companies working hard to restore supply ASAP but many SSEN customers, esp in NE may be without power over weekend. Importance of welfare support and good communication stressed."
Rail disruption
Network Rail Scotland said it would introduce some speed restrictions for safety, and have additional staff equipped with chainsaws across the network to deal with blocked tracks.
On Saturday morning it said fallen trees had caused numerous services to be cancelled, including Inverness to Thurso, Perth to Aberdeen, Aberdeen to Dundee and Glasgow Queen Street to Oban.
Football matches called off
Two Scottish Premiership games were postponed, with matches between Aberdeen and St Johnstone and Dundee and St Mirren called off due to safety concerns around the stadiums.
The Scottish Premiership confirmed that Dundee’s game at Dens Park was off due to high winds.
The Championship game between Arbroath and Partick Thistle was also cancelled with no new dates set for the games.
How long will the storm last?
Paul Gunderson, chief meteorologist for the Met Office, said: “For those in the north of the UK there will be high winds and rain on Saturday, with showers possibly turning wintry in the high ground in the north.
“The highest winds are expected in exposed coastal areas in the north and east of Scotland, but it will be a windy day for most.”
However as Malik subsides, Storm Corrie will hit parts of Scotland from Sunday afternoon and Ms Sturgeon warned it could be severe for the Highlands, Grampian and Tayside, with some snow possible in certain areas of northern Scotland.
The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for wind for northern UK from 3pm on Sunday until noon on Monday and a separate amber warning for wind is in place for Tayside and Fife, Grampian, Highlands and Eilean Siar from 5pm on Sunday until 6am on Monday.