Red weather warning for rain
Planning continues as the existing weather warnings for the north east of Scotland have been upgraded to their highest level.
The Met Office has issued a Red Warning for rain for parts of Angus and South Aberdeenshire, valid between Thursday evening (1800) and Friday afternoon (1200).
In addition, an Amber Warning for wind has issued this morning for eastern Angus and eastern Aberdeenshire, valid between 1000 and 1800 on Thursday.
This builds on the high impact Amber warning for rain covering parts of Stirling, Perthshire, Aviemore, Moray, Angus, Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City from Thursday morning (0600) until Friday evening (1800). These warnings are subject to continued review. Details are available on the Met Office website.
Heavy downpours and severe winds are forecast for much of central and northern Scotland from Thursday morning through to Friday night, which will likely result in traffic disruption and flooding. Within Angus and South Aberdeenshire, the impacts are likely to be more severe, across the evening, with the volume of rain presenting a risk to life.
This comes after the heaviest rain Scotland has witnessed since the 1890s, and which is likely to impact already saturated and flooded areas.
The Multi Agency Response Team will be 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.
People should avoid travel in the red warning area and expect a high risk of disruption in the amber area, only travelling if essential. Plan ahead and work from home if you can until the storm has passed.
Stein Connelly, from Transport Scotland, said:
“We recently witnessed some of the most severe weather in Scotland since the 1890s, and this is looking like another period of extreme weather, which could present a risk to life.
“People need to plan ahead and be prepared. Avoid travel unless essential. If you do need to travel, check before your travel as your journey is likely to be affected by these latest severe weather warnings. For those in Angus and South Aberdeenshire, the advice is clear – do not travel during the period the red warning is in effect. The rain is expected to present some really challenging conditions.
“The Multi Agency Response team will be in operation to monitor conditions and co-ordinate our response, however, the public can play a key role by planning ahead.
“Latest Police Scotland advice is to expect a high risk of disruption across central and the north east of Scotland. Police are also asking people not to travel across the areas of Angus and South Aberdeenshire. It’s a rapidly moving situation, so please check the Traffic Scotland and Police Scotland social media updates and local radio bulletins for the very latest updates.”
Chief Superintendent Hilary Sloan, Head of Road Policing, said:
“Our advice is to avoid any form of travel during the period of the red weather warning.
“Driving conditions are expected to be extremely dangerous with disruption and significant delays.
“Amber warnings still remain in place for rain and wind so high sided vehicles in those areas should consider how essential their journey is.
“Don’t ignore road closure signs – they are for your safety.”
Further information
UK weather warnings can be viewed on the Met Office website.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) issues flood alerts and warnings for Scotland. View the latest updates on the SEPA website.
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.
Updates on ScotRail services and road conditions are available online, both on the ScotRail website and Traffic Scotland website.
Advice on preparing for severe weather can be found on the Ready Scotland website.