According to the Shipping Forecast, which we listen to avidly, Orkney had Gale Force 8 to Storm Force 10 winds overnight gusting to Violent Storm 11. And today recorded winds of 82 mph.
The ferries for today were cancelled yesterday and the barriers have been closed all day. That's all fairly standard stuff. Not quite so standard was the closure of several roads because of the strength of the tidal surge. It was sort of fun watching the sea gather itself up and dump itself on a house we almost bought on the other side of Watersound.
Knock on effects include no TV because the satellite isn't getting a signal, no postal deliveries and rationing our tea and coffee intake so that we don't run out of milk since the local shop won't be getting any more in until the winds drop and the barriers open. Let's hope that's tomorrow!
What do you mean by "the barriers"? Do they block the port?
ReplyDeleteThey are the causeways that link some of Orkney's smaller southern islands to the large main island of the group. If you follow this link to an earlier post in December, you will see a photo of them, together with a link to a web article about them.
ReplyDeletehttp://fiddlesticksandflamingnora.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/the-shortest-day.html
hope this helps.