Updated Red Weather Warning for rain
Planning continues as the highest level red weather warnings for the north east of Scotland have been extended beyond Angus and South Aberdeenshire to include the area north of Perth and Aberfeldy.
These warnings are subject to continued review. Details are available on the Met Office website[1]. The current warnings from the Met Office are as follows:
Red rain warning – 1800 on 19 October to 1200 on 20 October
Affected areas: Angus, Dundee, Perth and Kinross, Aberdeenshire.
Amber rain warning – 0600 on 19 October to 1800 on 20 October
Affected areas: Angus, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Stirling, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray.
Amber rain warning – 1800 on 19 October to 0900 on 20 October
Affected areas: Highland.
Amber wind warning – 1000 on 19 October to 1800 on 19 October
Affected areas: Angus, Dundee, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire.
Yellow rain warning – 0600 on 19 October to 2359 on 21 October
Affected areas: Angus, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Falkirk, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Stirling, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Highland, East Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian Council and Scottish Borders.
Yellow wind warning – 0300 on 19 October to 1200 on 20 October
Affected areas: Angus, Dundee, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Stirling, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands, Argyll and Bute.
Warnings starting on Friday:
Yellow wind warning – 1200 on 20 October to 1200 on 21 October
Affected areas: Angus, Dundee, Falkirk, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, East Lothian, Edinburgh, Midlothian Council, Scottish Borders, West Lothian
Amber rain warning – 1200 on 20 October to 0600 on 21 October
Affected areas: East Lothian, Midlothian Council, Scottish Borders.
People are asked to plan ahead and expect significant disruption to transport. Road operating companies have been clearing roads throughout the day. Rail and bus services have been suspended in affected areas. Passengers are asked to check with transport operators to get the latest information on services.
Storm Babet comes after the heaviest rain Scotland has witnessed since the 1890s, is impacting already saturated and flooded areas. People should avoid travel in the red warning area and expect a high risk of disruption in the amber areas, only travelling if essential.
The Multi Agency Response Team is fully operational at the Traffic Scotland National Control Centre alongside the Transport Scotland Resilience Room to monitor conditions, respond to any major conditions, and to help co-ordinate messaging and communications. Resilience partners continue to feed into the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room which is also operational.
Stein Connelly, from Transport Scotland, said:
“The existing red warning for Angus and South Aberdeenshire has been extended north of Perth up towards Stonehaven. A red warning is a rare event, issued by the Met Office, when they believe the conditions could present a risk to life. The advice from Police Scotland is that people should avoid travel in the red areas. Stay home if you can. If you need to make essential trips in the amber areas – expect a high level of disruption to the transport network.
“Resilience partners, road operating companies and transport operators are working hard to keep the network open – and the public can help us by planning ahead and by following the latest advice.
“It’s a rapidly moving situation, so please check the Traffic Scotland website and social media for trunk road updates, check with your transport operator for any impacts, follow the latest Police Scotland advice or check SEPA webpages for flooding information.”
Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston said:
“Our advice is to avoid any form of travel in areas covered by the red weather warning. Driving conditions will be extremely dangerous with disruption expected.
“It’s important that everyone considers the amber warnings that still remain in place for rain and wind. This will present a particular challenge to high sided vehicles – so please consider whether these journeys are essential.
“Again – I would ask everyone to please pay attention to closure signs which may be in use across the road network. They are there to keep you safe.”
Further information
UK weather warnings can be viewed on the Met Office website[2].
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) issues flood alerts and warnings for Scotland. View the latest updates on the SEPA website[3].
BEAR Scotland manages and maintains the trunk roads in Scotland on behalf of Transport Scotland. For updates on the A83 Rest and Be Thankful, visit the BEAR Scotland website[4].
Updates on ScotRail services and road conditions are available online, both on the ScotRail website[5] and Traffic Scotland website[6].
Advice on preparing for severe weather can be found on the Ready Scotland website[7].
References
- ^ Met Office website (www.metoffice.gov.uk)
- ^ Met Office website (www.metoffice.gov.uk)
- ^ SEPA website (www.sepa.org.uk)
- ^ BEAR Scotland website (www.bearscot.com)
- ^ ScotRail website (www.scotrail.co.uk)
- ^ Traffic Scotland website (www.traffic.gov.scot)
- ^ Ready Scotland website (ready.scot)