Storm Babet to cause ‘disruption for road, rail and ferries’ as weather …
Heavy rain and winds from Storm Babet are expected to cause delays and disruption for road, rail and ferry journeys, with high-sided vehicles on exposed routes at risk.
Police Scotland has warned to make trips only if “necessary” as the Met Office upgraded a yellow weather warning to amber for much of the north-east region for Thursday and Friday. Yellow warnings remain in place for the rest of the north of Scotland.
The warnings follow some of the heaviest rain Scotland has witnessed since the 1890s, while the upcoming storm could hit some already saturated and flooded areas.
Scotland is experiencing one of the wettest Octobers since the 1990s. Image: Sandy McCook/ DC Thomson.
The weekend of October 7 and 8 saw 100 to 150mm of rain falling widely across many areas across the southern and central Highlands.
However, the current forecast rainfall predicts that some regions in the north-east could see those figures surpassed, with some areas seeing 150 to 200mm of rain over a two-to-three-day period.
The Met Office further announced that the heavy rain will be accompanied by strong east to south-easterly winds.
Journeys “likely to be affected”
Stein Connelly, from Transport Scotland, said: “We recently witnessed some of the most severe weather in Scotland since the 1890s, and another wave of challenging conditions is expected this week.
“Check before your travel as your journey is likely to be affected by these latest severe weather warnings – whether by foot, bike, car, rail or ferry.”
Police Scotland has advised to only travel if your journey us essential. Image: Sandy McCook/ DC Thomson.
Chief Superintendent Hilary Sloan, Head of Road Policing, advised travellers to plan ahead and consider if their journey “is really necessary or if it can be delayed until conditions improve”.
ScotRail Customer Operations Director Phil Campbell said: “We’ll continue to monitor the forecast, and teams will be working around the clock to deal with any weather-related incidents that Storm Babet brings.
“We ask customers who are planning to travel to keep an eye on our website, app or social media feeds for live updates.”
What to expect, according to the Met Office
The Met office has announced the following issues can take place due to the “exceptionally wet conditions across parts of eastern Scotland.”
- Dangerous driving conditions because of spray and flooded roads
- Road closures and bus and train service delays and cancellations likely
- Extensive flooding to homes and businesses is possible, which could lead to collapsed or damaged buildings or structures
- Fast flowing or deep floodwater is likely, causing danger to life
- There is a chance that communities in flooded areas could be completely cut off, perhaps for several days
- Power and other essential services, such as gas, water or mobile phone service, may be lost