Caravans are submerged and building crumbles as ‘danger to life …
Parts of Scotland[1] and England have today and yesterday experienced flooding[2] following downpours – up to one month’s rainfall[3] in just a few hours – with more torrents expected.
Photographs which have emerged today show caravans and tents submerged in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, after River Tay burst its banks last night. Other pictures show a crumbling building in Cockermouth, Cumbria and flooded sports pitches in Kingussie near Aviemore, Scottish Highlands. Videos shared online show flooding last night in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire, and in Rutherglen, South Lanarkshire.
The Met Office[4] has issued an amber warning for rain – meaning “danger to life” – across Angus, Perth and Kinross, Aberdeenshire, Moray and Highland until 2pm on Sunday. Forecasters believe two weeks’ worth of rainfall with lash across the regions in just a few hours[5].
A separate amber warning, stretching from Aviemore to Glasgow, expired at 6am, with much of the rest of the country under yellow warnings. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has dozens of flood warnings in place, while a severe flood warning is active for the Aviemore/Dalfaber area. Environment Agency in England said this morning flooding was expected in parts of Cumbria too, and less a severe alert concerns North Yorkshire. A building in Cumbria has been damaged today[6], caused by a fast-flowing river.
In a statement today , Sepa said people should remain vigilant about the risk of flooding. Flood duty manager Vincent Fitzsimons said: “It’s been a rough weekend across Scotland, with severe weather causing widespread travel disruption to road and rail networks and impacts in communities from Greenock to Aviemore.
“Our teams have been working around the clock with Scottish Government and the Met Office in the lead into and across this major weather event.”
He added: “Today the focus continues to turn to communities across the North, with a particular concern for severe flood impacts to communities along the Spey and Tay rivers. It’s a day to stay alert, not stand down. The risk to life remains.”
It comes after a spokesman for ScotRail said some parts of Scotland saw a month’s rain in the 24 hours to Saturday evening[7], affecting train services throughout the country. The Met Office said Tyndrum, west Perthshire experienced the most rainfall, with 112.6mm falling on the small village.
Although the rain is expected to continue throughout the morning, it should clear away in the afternoon. It is a different story for the south of the UK, with sunshine and highs of around 25C forecast by the Met Office for Sunday.[8]
Tom Morgan, a Met Office meteorologist, said the contrasting weather was caused by warm weather travelling up from France meeting cold weather coming from the north with the temperature contrast leading to the heavy rain in Scotland. The warm weather in southern parts was expected to last until Tuesday.
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Chris Almond said: “Warmth to the south is likely to continue at least at the start of next week, before a likely gradual return to a more typically autumnal weather regime.”
15:23KEY EVENT
Met Office extends severe weather warning for rain in fresh update
The Met Office has extended its severe weather warning for rain in a fresh update issued this afternoon.
A huge swathe of Scotland is already under a yellow weather warning today where forecasters say homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings. There is also a ‘danger to life’ due to fast flowing or deep floodwater due to the rain.
Forecasters have now extended the warning and in an update said: “Warning extended until early evening as further pulses of heavy rain will move eastwards over the next few hours.”
It means the warning, which came into force at 6am this morning will now end at 7pm tonight. A further weather warning has been issued for rain on Tuesday again affecting parts of Scotland.
14:47Bradley Jolly
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship disrupted by heavy rain today
The continued heavy rain in Scotland has caused further disruption at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship with play abandoned on Sunday.
The third round was originally scheduled to be played on the Old Course at St Andrews, Carnoustie Golf Links and Kingsbarns Golf Links on Saturday, but that was washed out and the courses remained waterlogged on Sunday.
Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 2023 has been abandoned for a second day due to adverse weather conditions at St Andrews (
PA)
14:39Bradley Jolly
Downpours cause travel disruption in parts of Scotland
Landslides today blocked some roads in the west of Scotland, with 10 drivers being rescued by helicopter after becoming trapped on the A83 near Inverary in Argyll and Bute.
The road remained closed on Sunday as around 2,000 tonnes of debris had fallen onto the surface, with police advising people in the area to avoid travel. ScotRail services on a number of lines were suspended on Sunday too.
14:15Bradley Jolly
New photographs emerge of damage and disruption caused by flooding
These new photographs taken today highlight the impact flooding has had across Scotland and parts of England.
Heavy rain has moved north and east today – so much so an amber weather warning remains in place – and it has led to ground becoming saturated, especially in eastern Scotland.
High water levels of the River Dulnain are seen near Aviemore (
PA)
14:03Bradley Jolly
More than 50 flood alerts and warnings remain in place
More than 50 flood warnings remain in place for Scotland and England, including the most severe status for Aviemore/Dalfaber, where roads wil be impassable.
River levels there are expected to be at their highest in nearly eight years, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.
And one severe warning is in place for the area around Keswick, Cumbria, in addition to smaller alerts across England.
The flooded Dell sports field in Kingussie near Avimore is pictured (
PA)
12:59Bradley Jolly
Contrasting weather in southern parts of England
While rivers may be overflowing, or to near to overflowing in and around Cumbria, southerners are enjoying a balmy day with blue skies.
Temperatures are expected to reach 25C in London later this afternoon, quite a change to the scenes we’ve pictured across Scotland and northern England. This picture below was taken this morning in Weymouth, Dorset.
A horse rider chats to a dog walker on the beach during sunrise (
Getty Images)
12:46Bradley Jolly
No one hurt in the building collapse in Cumbria
No one is understood to have been injured in the building collapse in Cumbria. The Grade-II Listed riverside building was declared unsafe in November 2021 after the fast-flowing river eroded the stone section underneath it[9].
It was purchased at auction for £51,000 last year by London property consultant Samiul Ahmed, who planned to spent more than £100,000 to make it safe. He announced in March that he had been working alongside local builders, designers and heritage groups and said structural engineers have assessed the damage.
Cockermouth’s Civic Trust group had previously warned about the safety of the Old Courthouse. In April this year, their architectural advisor said the building remained “highly vulnerable to further collapse”.
12:21KEY EVENT
Historic building crumbles in Cockermouth, Cumbria
Downpours are also affecting England, as we have mentioned. New pictures show a devastated historic building after a section collapsed into a river earlier today.
The 194-year-old Listed Old Courthouse building in Cockermouth, Cumbria, due to feature on BBC TV renovation show Homes Under The Hammer, has partially collapsed into the River Cocker.
A historic building that is due to appear on BBC’s Homes Under the Hammer after it collapsed into a river (
Malcolm Mavin / SWNS)
12:03Bradley Jolly
Yet another fresh weather warning issued for UK
A further yellow weather warning for rain has been issued by Met Office – but won’t start until Tuesday.
The weather service understands, even nearly 48 hours in advance, that more rain will batter parts of northern and western Scotland on Tuesday. It is in place from 6am to 9pm, a 15-hour period, at the moment.
Met Office writes online: “Following disruptive rainfall across much of Scotland in recent days, a further period of fairly heavy rainfall is likely to affect many western parts of Scotland during Tuesday (though nothing like the amount seen on Saturday), before the rain begins to clear away southwards during Tuesday afternoon and evening.”
A AA patrol helps rescue a car from floodwater in Dumbarton (
PA)
11:14Bradley Jolly
Railway lines flooded across Scotland
Railway lines across the west of Scotland remain flooded although they have seen a significant improvement overnight.
10:52Bradley Jolly
Video captures the full extent of yesterday’s landslide
This clip was taken near Oban, Argyll and Bute.
10:33KEY EVENT
Caravans and tents pictured submerged underwater
These pictures, which have emerged today, show caravans and tents underwater at a caravan park in Aberfeldy, a small market town in Perth and Kinross.
River Tay burst its banks last night after 24 hours of torrential rain.
Caravans and tents are pictured underwater at a caravan park (
Perthshire Picture Agency)
10:20Bradley Jolly
Rainy weather is having an impact on our pumpkins ahead of Halloween
Pumpkins will be larger this year as a result of Britain’s unpredictable weather this summer, according to reports today.
While many Brits may have been cursing the rainier than usual mid-summer months of July and August, the inclement weather was welcomed by the UK’s pumpkin growers in the run up to halloween.
Pumpkins will be larger this year as a result of Britain’s unpredictable weather this summer (
Emma Trimble / SWNS)
10:17Bradley Jolly
Is flooding feared in England?
There are three flood alerts and one more severe flood warning in place across England as wet weather is expected in some parts.
The warning, where flooding is “expected” concerns areas in Keswick, a market town in Cumbria, and the three alerts, where flooding is “possible”, concern Windermere and Longthwaite in Cumbria, and parts of York and surrounding North Yorkshire outskirts.
09:58Bradley Jolly
Flooding captured in Clydebank last night
Videos on social media show flooding in and around areas west of Glasgow. This particular clip shows floodwater on a main road in Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire.
09:46Bradley Jolly
More rail disruption expected today due to weather
ScotRail is warning customers to expect significant disruption today.
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. Saturday’s extreme weather saw several lines completely closed, while others operated a reduced service with extended journey times due to speed restrictions put in place to ensure safety.
Some services ended early on Saturday night, and inspections will be carried out on lines on Sunday morning.
The following services will be affected until the route is checked:
Glasgow Queen Street – Inverness
Glasgow Central – Wemyss Bay
Glasgow Central – Gourock
Glasgow Central – Rutherglen
Glasgow Queen Street – Oban / Mallaig
Glasgow Queen Street – Alloa
Floodwater covers the road outside Dumbarton Football Club in Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire (
PA)
09:42Bradley Jolly
Dramatic videos show roads flooded in Glasgow
Flooding in Aitkenhead Road, Glasgow, Scotland 7 October 2023 #WearherUpdate #flooding #ClimateActionNow #Floodpic.twitter.com/Co5mpscST4[10][11][12][13][14]
— Disaster Tracker (@DisasterTrackHQ) October 8, 2023[15]
09:26Bradley Jolly
North-south divide continues with UK’s weather today
While downpours sweep across Scotland and some parts of northern England, the south of England will largely experience a warm and sunny day.
Temperatures could peak at 25C in and around London, Met Office says. It’ll be mild elsewhere too, way above the typical temperatures for this time of the year.
People enjoy the warm weather yesterday in St James’s Park in Central London (
PA)
09:17Bradley Jolly
Met Office shares its forecast video in full
Met Office has published a full weather forecast on its website, in which he details the conditions and temperatures across the UK hourly today.
It shows cloud and rain will be sturbborn to clear Scotland and particularly linger across its east coast by late afternoon. Aberdeen, especially, will experience heavy rainfall at around 4pm.
09:07Bradley Jolly
Football matches at risk of postponement due to downpours
Football fans should keep an eye on their club’s social media to check if matches are on today.
Yesterday, professional games across Scotland were postponed due to waterlogged pitches following heavy rain. The match at Dundee, for instance, was rearranged because of the weather. There are two Scottish Premier games today;
St Mirren V Rangers – noon kick-off
Aberdeen V St Johnstone – 3pm kick-off
08:56KEY EVENT
New weather map pinpoints the areas where flooding is feared
A new weather map devised by Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) shows the locations of the waterways feared to flood today.
Mirror has published the map here as rain now starts to move east across Scotland.
A new graphic maps the positions of flood alerts and warnings (
SEPA)
08:44Bradley Jolly
Dramatic rescue after landslides caused by torrential rain
Ten people were airlifted to safety yesterday after becoming trapped between landslides in Argyll and Bute in Scotland.
The alarm was raised at around 9.15am on Saturday, October 7, after heavy rain battered the region amid an amber weather warning.
A number of mudslides have been reported on the A83 as well as the A815, near Inveraray.
Ten people were airlifted from their vehicles after landslides closed two roads in Scotland (
HM COASTGUARD)
08:39Bradley Jolly
Photographs show the damage and disruption weather caused yesterday across Scotland
Scotland, in particular, was heavily disrupted by the downpours yesterday. It led to flooding in parts and travel chaos.
These photographs capture the impact of the rain, with more downpours expected today across most of Scotland.
A AA patrol helps rescue a car from floodwater in Dumbarton (
PA)
08:23Bradley Jolly
More than 50 flood warnings in place across Scotland alone
There are are more than 50 flood warnings – including one severe alert – in place across Scotland. There is also one warning in place for England – in Keswick, Cumbria. Wales and Northern Ireland are subject to no warnings as of yet.
The majority of the alerts in Scotland concern central and eastern parts, such as waterways in Tayside and higher ground across Cairngorms National Park.
A woman clears away mess left by floodwater in Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire (
PA)
References
- ^ Scotland (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ flooding (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ rainfall (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Met Office (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ two weeks’ worth of rainfall with lash across the regions in just a few hours (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ A building in Cumbria has been damaged today (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ a month’s rain in the 24 hours to Saturday evening (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ sunshine and highs of around 25C forecast by the Met Office for Sunday. (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ the fast-flowing river eroded the stone section underneath it (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ #WearherUpdate (twitter.com)
- ^ #flooding (twitter.com)
- ^ #ClimateActionNow (twitter.com)
- ^ #Flood (twitter.com)
- ^ pic.twitter.com/Co5mpscST4 (t.co)
- ^ October 8, 2023 (twitter.com)