"Up to 70,000 homes have been left without power in Scotland and trains canceled after high winds battered the northern parts of Britain on Friday.

Britain's Met Office issued severe weather warnings for the areas after two Atlantic storms hit the country resulting in gusts of around 100 miles per hour.

Scotland's train operator ScotRail, run by FirstGroup, canceled all services until further notice citing safety concerns, while the Forth Road Bridge near Edinburgh was closed temporarily.

The storms will be followed by ice and snow with temperatures set to plunge on Saturday, and no end in sight to the unsettled weather patterns."

Sarah Young reports foor Reuters January 9, 2015. [2]