The torrential rain and floods that battered Edinburgh and the Lothians in the spring of 2000, were the most severe witnessed in decades.
Over a period of 48 hours on April 26 and 27, the city was hit by a record 100mm rainfall the likes of which many locals had never seen before.
The heavy rain resulted in vital roads and rail services being disrupted, while scores of households had to be evacuated from the parts of the capital which were hit the worst. Hundreds more homes were left without power.
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In the west of the city, the Water of Leith burst its banks, leaving vast stretches of Roseburn and Murrayfield under several feet of water. The pitch at Murrayfield Stadium, which had been preparing to host the Rugby Challenge Cup Final, was waterlogged up to waist height.
Footage from the times shows beleaguered residents in Saughtonhall and Balgreen wading through the streets carrying personal belongings and other essentials.
Extensive flooding was also reported in other areas by the Water of Leith, including Stockbridge, Warriston and Bonnington, as the river reached its highest level since records began.
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The floods had not spared those on higher ground either. In Mid Liberton, the burst banks of the Braid Burn also caused a deluge of flood water. The fire service helped rescue hundreds of stricken residents using small boats.
In an eight-hour period, the fire brigade responded to more than 350 emergency calls, with 85 calls made in just one hour alone.
Firefighters answered 350 emergency calls over eight hours from 4pm on Wednesday when the floods struck, with 85 calls for help in one hour alone.
A City of Edinburgh Council spokesperson confirmed that the Water of Leith was at the highest level since monitoring began in the 1960s.
They commented: ''The rainfall was at an exceptional level. The height of the Water of Leith, which was the main problem, was 3.1 metres at Murrayfield, which is double the normal height of the river and is the highest level recorded in 30 years since we started monitoring.''
The weather piled on misery for holidaymakers, with many of the main roads to Edinburgh Airport submerged in water. A vast stretch of the Edinburgh City Bypass, between Lothianburn and Gogar roundabout, was also taped off due to surface water.
In all, the 2000 Edinburgh and Lothians downpours caused more than £25 million worth of damage and affected an estimated 500 properties around the city.
In the wake of the unprecedented floods, the council moved to beef up the city's defences by signing off on a multi-million pound flood prevention scheme in a drastic effort to avoid such scenes in the future.
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