Heavy rain is set to bring flooding and disruption to the East coast of Scotland following the Met Office's upgraded amber weather warning. The heavy rain alert, which covers parts of Grampian, Tayside, Central and Fife, will come into force at midnight and run until 3pm on Friday (November 18) afternoon.
A yellow warning for rain remains in place for a large part of eastern Scotland until tomorrow evening. The Met Office has warned of a "danger to life" and forecasters are predicting that homes and businesses are likely to be flooded. Police Scotland are also warning of a high risk of disruption.
The region has been deluged by rain through Thursday but the weather is set to get worse overnight. The downpours will make driving difficult driving, with potential for reduced visibility and surface water, and the conditions will likely impact travel on both the trunk road and rail networks.
Network Rail has said that areas of the Highland Mainline, Fife and the East Coast Mainline will all be affected by speed restrictions. While ScotRail passengers are being asked to check journey times ahead of travelling.
There's also a good chance that some communities will be cut off due to flooded roads in these areas. . Around 100mm of rain is predicted to fall in these areas between Thursday and Saturday.
Transport Scotland say a Multi-Agency Response Team will monitor conditions throughout the amber warning period, and will mobilise specialist equipment to clear incidents as quickly as possible.
Minister for Transport Jenny Gilruth said: “The Met Office is warning us to expect a period of difficult weather in parts of eastern Scotland throughout Friday, with heavy rain likely to impact travel in the amber warning area in the North East. The conditions could potentially bring disruption to the transport network, so it’s important people plan their journeys before they set off – particularly if they’re looking to use the trunk roads or travel by rail.
“Motorists should make sure their routes are available, follow travel advice from Police Scotland and drive to the conditions. The new Traffic Scotland website – traffic.gov.scot - lets people access the latest information on the trunk roads, and you can also follow their twitter page @TrafficScotland which is regularly updated. If you are planning to travel by rail, please check with your operator ahead of your journey to see if your service is affected.”
Chief Superintendent Louise Blakelock, head of road policing, said: “As an amber warning for heavy rain has been issued, we are urging motorists to plan ahead and avoid unnecessary travel. The Met Office, SEPA and Traffic Scotland websites have valuable information about weather disruptions and we would advise people to check these sites before setting off on your journey.
“If you do need to drive, make sure you and your vehicle are suitably prepared by having sufficient fuel, waterproofs, warm clothing, food and water in the event you are delayed and be mindful of increased stopping distances when braking.”
David Faichney, Flood Duty Manager for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), said: “A period of persistent and heavy rain is forecast across much of eastern Scotland from Thursday evening into Friday afternoon.
“Surface water and river flooding impacts are possible from eastern Borders to Aberdeenshire on both days. On Friday, Aberdeenshire and Angus in particular could experience significant impacts. These may include flooding in parts of communities, property and agricultural land. Disruption to the transport network is also likely, including difficult driving conditions.
“Regional Flood Alerts and local Flood Warnings are in place, and people living and working in affected areas are advised to plan their essential journeys and consider the steps they need to take now to be prepared and to stay safe. They can also keep updated on floodline.sepa.org.uk.
“SEPA works 24/7 to monitor conditions and is in close contact with the Met Office and other partners to understand and communicate the flooding risk.”
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