Heavy seas crashing over vehicles forced the closure of the busy Bràighe coastal road on Lewis at early breakfast time today.
High tide pushed by strong onshore winds created a dangerous situation for traffic.
Winds of 62mph were recorded at 7am at the Met Office observation point at nearby Stornoway airport.
The Met Office had issued a gale warning for the Hebrides area.
Police stopped all vehicles and school pupils remained at home while the Braighe road was shut.
Many people living in the Point district workers could not get to work as a result.
Hours later, piles of debris and shingle had to be cleared off the carriageway to allow vehicles to get through in a convoy system.
A late school bus run for the Point area to transport children to the Sgoil an Rubha primary school and to the Nicolson institute secondary in Stornoway took place late morning.
In Uist, coastguard teams stood-
Big waves force road closure
7 January 2015