FIFE COUNCIL has urged communities still reeling from the last bout of severe weather to brace themselves for more as Storm Barra prepares to sweep in from the Atlantic.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for strong winds across parts of Fife and the east coast on Tuesday, with gusts of up to 70mph anticipated.

That warning is in place throughout Tuesday, between 9am and midnight, while another yellow warning for heavy snow and rain also covers western parts of Fife and central Scotland from 11am until midnight.

With the alerts coming just a matter of days after Storm Arwen wreaked havoc across the Kingdom, Fife Council says its staff will once again work closely with community partners like Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and, in the case of Storm Arwen, SPEnergy Networks.

But it has also singled out the efforts of local community resilience groups who will once again be on standby and ready to help out if needed while council staff tackle the worst of the damage.

A council spokesperson said: “We want to give a big shout out especially to volunteers in East Neuk Community Emergency Planning Team (ENCEPT), Largo Area Community Response Team (LACRT), Newport, Wormit and Forgan Community Resilience Group and Tay Bridgehead Resilience Group. 

“Throughout the storm they were monitoring the situation locally and were ready to step in with practical help in their own communities if needed.

“While the emergency responders like the Police and SFRS have to prioritise bigger, Fife-wide issues, these local volunteers make a huge difference in our communities being able to provide the right support, in the right place at the right time.”

Communities can help by checking on vulnerable people in their area, offering lifts to supermarkets and pharmacies, opening a community facility as a place of safety, or clearing snow from driveways, roads and footpaths.

Fifers interested in starting up their own community resilience groups to co-ordinate local help can also get involved by visiting https://www.fife.gov.uk/…/readyfife/ready-communities.

The Met Office has suggested that as the system moves in from west, the strongest winds and impacts are expected to affect the Republic of Ireland. 

However, it will then bring strong winds and rain to parts of Scotland and northern England, with the rain turning to snow in places.

Two to five centimetres of snow is expected across the warning area, which covers much of western Scotland and stretches into parts of Fife, Tayside and Clackmannanshire, although up to 10 centimetres is possible.

Frank Saunders, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, added: “Strong winds arriving across the west through Tuesday morning, will spread inland and reach eastern areas through the afternoon and early evening. 

“Gusts of 45-50 mph are expected widely, with 60-70 mph in exposed coastal locations. 

“The strongest winds will ease across inland areas into the overnight period.”