Tuesday 21 August

Although the day started out thoroughly wet, with plenty of heavy showers, the afternoon was much brighter and even brought a few sunny spells. A concentrated batch of showers closed the day at around 9.30pm, just after darkness had fallen. We're only a month away from the equinox, and the evenings are markedly closing in. Long forgotten are the long evenings of mid summer, when it doesn't get dark until 11pm. 9pm is more like it now.

In the Atlantic Ocean, the 9th tropical depression of the season has formed, and it looks as if it means business for later in the week. Two typhoons are rumbling in the Pacific Ocean, posing a threat to Taiwan and the coast of eastern China.

Just before 8pm tonight, the main road between Stornoway and Barvas (on the west coast) was reopened following yesterday's fatal accident. Police are still contacting next-of-kin, meaning the identity of the casualties are being withheld. We know that a woman died, another was injured and is stable in hospital, and a man is critically ill in hospital in Inverness.