Scotland's future looks wet, wet, wet

Published on Thursday 7 August 2008 22:29

CLIMATE change will make extreme storms and heavy rainfall even more frequent than was previously predicted, new research suggests.

Click here to view pictures of yesterday's weather sent in by our readers

The warning comes as Scotland endured another day of dreadful weather, with nearly a month's rainfall drenching Edinburgh in just 24 hours.

Tens of thousands of commuters suffered chaotic journeys, roads were closed by flooding and landslides, while some railway tracks were underwater.

But researchers warned of worse to come in a new study demonstrating a link between global warming and more intense rainfall.

Scientists suggest previous predictions could have underestimated the impact of climate change on extreme weather.

Dr Richard Allan from the University of Reading, one of the authors of the report published in the journal Science today, said in some cases the reality could be twice as bad as previously thought.

"This research is based on 20 years of satellite observations, and we found a distinct link between rainfall extremes and temperature," he said.

"This means that heavy rain events are likely to increase during warm periods and decrease during cold periods."

Dr Allan said in the UK summer thunderstorms in particular were likely to become more intense. "It's possible it's being felt already today, but it's quite difficult to separate out the influence of global warming from the normal day-to-day fluctuations," he said.

As a result of yesterday's rain, the Edinburgh City Bypass was partially closed, leading to miles of tailbacks.

Train tracks in Princes Street Gardens were under 6in of water and about half of trains into Edinburgh were cancelled.

Network Rail said trackside pumps and drains had been unable to cope with the sheer volume of water. Network Rail was unable to say whether it could restore normal services in time for this morning's rush hour.

Flooding on the east coast main line at Penmanshiel, south of Dunbar, severely disrupted cross-Border trains.

Rain in Renfrewshire led fire chiefs to urge residents of 20 homes to leave because of fears that a dam could collapse. And flood warnings were issued for the River Earn between Comrie and Bridge of Earn in Perthshire, the Blackadder Water and Langton Burn in East Lothian.

Dr Allan, author of the study Atmospheric Warming and the Amplification of Precipitation Extremes, said it will be crucial for strategies to be put in place to deal with extreme climate problems in the future.

He said: "There is a major concern that heavy rainstorms will become more common and more intense in a warmer climate. Floods can completely devastate areas and people's livelihoods, so this knowledge could have massive implications on how we plan for our changing climate in the future."

Closures and chaos as floods hit transport

TRAFFIC queued back to the M8 after the Edinburgh city bypass was partially closed by severe flooding between Straiton to Dreghorn.

&#149 An emergency rail timetable was introduced after half the trains at Waverley Station in Edinburgh were cancelled because of flooding west of the station.

&#149 Flooding also hit the east coast main line near Dunbar, the North Berwick line and the Edinburgh-Shotts-Glasgow route.

&#149 The Edinburgh visitor attraction Our Dynamic Earth was closed for several hours because of water leaks which damaged exhibits.

&#149 Firefighters pumped out flooded homes in the Brunstane area of Edinburgh.

&#149 Old Dalkeith Road in the capital was described as "flowing like a river".

&#149 Landslides hitting roads in the Borders included the A72 between Clovenfords and Walkerburn.

&#149 Residents near Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire, left their homes after water from a dam reached critical levels for the second time in four days. The dam will now be demolished.

&#149 Sandbags and pumps were used to protect homes from floodwater at East Wemyss and Falkland in Fife.