We're moving to Weather Warning status in the north of Scotland ahead of Storm Ashley, which will bring strong winds on Sunday 20 and Monday 21 October. 

💨 The weather forecast 

SSEN’s weather model shows high winds forecast for much of the north of Scotland network area from the early hours of Sunday. The west coast of mainland Scotland from Kintyre to Skye, Skye and the Western Isles can expect winds of 55-60mph from around 6am. Later in the afternoon, gusts of 70mph across Sutherland, the Western Isles and Skye are possible. Gusts of 50-55mph are forecast across much of the north of Scotland. Winds with gusts of 60-65mph will also affect Orkney and Shetland later on Sunday and into Monday.  

The Met Office is now referring to this as a named storm - Storm Ashley. An Amber Warning for wind is in place from 9am on Sunday for the Western Isles, the West Coast, Islay, Skye, and parts of Argyll.  

A Met Office Yellow Warning for wind remains for the whole of Scotland from 3am on Sunday. 

👷 How SSEN is responding  

We’re activating well-rehearsed plans, with teams in place to deal with network faults and to fix any damage. The teams in our Customer Contact Centres are fully prepared to take customers’ calls and queries. We have been telephoning our most vulnerable customers ahead of this storm arriving, and we have already sent out nearly 40,000 text messages to other people who're listed on our Priority Services Register.  

We’ll continue to watch this period of weather closely as it develops, and we’ll issue further updates depending on the forecast.   

📞 Help & advice 

If you see any damage to our equipment, please stay back, don’t touch it and instead report it to us directly by calling 105, or via our Power Track website, and our engineers will investigate as soon as possible.  

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.  
  • Visiting our Power Track Website to give you details of power cuts and restoration times. You can also report power cuts and network damage through Power Track.  
  • Visiting the "Preparing for a power cut" section on our website, where there is a wealth of advice and information, or to chat live to one of our advisors via the Webchat service  

Customers are also eligible for our Priority Services Register (PSR) 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.  

To find out more about the PSR, click here or call 0800 294 3259.  

How to get prepared

In preparation for any potential power cuts, we are encouraging our customers to save the emergency power cut number 105 and to follow us on Facebook and Twitter (ssencommunity) for regular updates.

  • Register for extra support during a power cut

    Priority Services Register

    We all rely on electricity day to day for various things, but for some, a power cut can be worrying or difficult. That’s why we offer extra help and support during a power cut. Registering for our Priority Services helps us to help you when you need it most. All our priority services are free.
  • View our tips and advice to help you during a power cut

    Preparing for a power cut

    With bad weather on the way, we've put together some helpful tips and advice to help you during a power cut. You can also download our useful resources to share with your family and neighbours.
  • Report a power cut or damage to our network through our map

    Power Track

    You can stay updated and track the progress of any faults in your area on our Power Track map or report damage to our network. You can also follow the progress of planned interruptions as well as find the nearest EV charge point if you have an electric vehicle that needs charging during a power cut.