High winds batter Scotland, N. Ireland

Britain's weather office issued a red alert Thursday as icy gale force winds, with gusts up to 130 mph, battered Scotland, officials said. The Met Office said the 130 mph wind gust was recorded at Aonach Mor ski area in the Highlands of Scotland, Sky News reported. Steady winds of 58 mph and gusts of 80 mph were reported in Northern Ireland. Thousands of people were without power in Argyll and the Western Isles. The Met Office issued severe weather warnings for northwestern England and the Pennine Range, the so-called backbone of England, which extends from Derbyshire north to the Scottish border, The Guardian said. ScotRail and other transportation companies began cutting schedules for Thursday because of reduced speed limits. The storm was expected to disrupt flights into and out of Scottish airports and ferries in the Hebrides, Orkneys and Shetlands.