Authorities have detected blue-green algae in Loch Moy, south of Inverness, and are urging the public and pet owners to avoid contact with the water. Warning signs are being posted as agencies investigate potential health risks.

Storm Amy brought down power lines around Loch Ness, cutting electricity to more than 200 homes in Foyers and Invermoriston and prompting transport disruption, including flight cancellations from Inverness Airport. Amber wind warnings up to 100 mph were in place.

Residents in Inverness’s Ness Castle estate found asbestos fragments—some partially buried—and are being billed for removal, prompting anger at the developer and factor. Robertson Homes says the site was clean at handover; the factor Ross + Liddell is charging nearly 100 households for testing and cleanup.

Network Rail Scotland warns that some of the 10,000 lightning strikes across the north of Scotland on 14 August damaged signalling on the Highland Main Line between Inverness and Perth, causing delays of up to 35 minutes.

Heavy rain and flooding have forced the closure of the line between Achnasheen and Achanalt, cancelling the Inverness–Kyle of Lochalsh service and causing up to 30-minute delays on routes to Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.

Five appliances from Nairn, Grantown-on-Spey and Forres battled a moorland wildfire near Glenferness from around 4 pm until after 10:41 pm on June 12, fully extinguishing the blaze.

A humpback whale was sighted in the Beauly Firth near Inverness, passing under the Kessock Bridge and swimming close to Castle Stewart golf course before heading back out to sea. Whales this size in this area is quite a rare occurrence, adding that in case of such sightings, best practice would be to report them to British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR).

Heavy snowfall has led to the closure of over 100 schools and nurseries in the Highlands, affecting more than 16,000 pupils.

Much of the Highlands was cooler and greyer than normal in July, but not particularly wet, the Met Office has said.

At least 65 long-finned pilot whales have died after being stranded on an island off the north coast of Scotland, a rescue charity said on Thursday, in one of the largest mass strandings in Britain in recent times.

An amber rain warning has been extended for the north and east of Scotland, causing severe flooding and travel disruptions, with the Scottish government urging people to heed travel warnings and take precautions. Some areas have seen up to a month's worth of rain in a 24-hour period resulting in heavy flooding across much of the rail network.

The spectacle of "hundreds" of dying or dead bees along the River Ness earlier this week led to a discussion on social media.

The Highlands have recorded their hottest day of the year so far – outstripping holiday hot spots in the Mediterranean, Adriatic and Aegean!

Scientists said the critically-endangered species had previously only been found in rivers and know pearl mussels have been discovered in the Scotland Lochs.

Icicles covered businesses in the village of Braemar. The Met Office says Braemar in Aberdeenshire recorded the coldest night since December 1995.

Andy Meldrum, of Glencoe Mountain, said his business is working towards a date when they can welcome back skiers and snowboarders. Despite the most magnificent conditions in 11 years, the slopes remain closed because of lockdown.

The pancakes form when foam floating on a river or the sea freeze. These frozen chunks are then shaped by being rubbed against one another in eddies of water.

The suspected lightning strike in the Highlands also dislodged boulders the size of washing machines.

A surge in the popularity of hillwalking during this year's coronavirus pandemic has seen daily visitor numbers at Ben Lomond grow from 1,000 on a normal sunny weekend to around 2,000. Walkers leaving official paths to avoid other people is causing hillside erosion and damage to vegetation.

The animal was part of a pod which rescuers hoped would swim to deeper water before a major military exercise.