Storm Dennis: Scottish weather warning upgrades to amber with 'danger to life'

Heavy rain and strong winds are expected to blast the country for the remainder of this week as storm Dennis hits.

The Met Office has issued an amber warning for parts of Scotland where severe flooding is likely causing 'danger to life.'

Areas affected include Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders where "very heavy rain" is expected to fall.

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Warnings are also in place for strong winds and rain across most of Scotland including Edinburgh, Glasgow, and most of the West Coast.

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Disruptions to travel are expected across the country and anyone wishing to drive or use public transport is advised to travel with caution.

Power cuts and loss of other services to homes and businesses is likely during these stormy weather conditions.

The amber warning is in place from midday tomorrow until midnight for southern Scotland with yellow warnings for wind and rain across the rest of the country are in place from tomorrow through to Monday.

The Met Office has issued an amber warning for parts of Scotland where severe flooding is likely causing 'danger to life'   PICTURE: JPI Media and Met OfficeThe Met Office has issued an amber warning for parts of Scotland where severe flooding is likely causing 'danger to life'   PICTURE: JPI Media and Met Office
The Met Office has issued an amber warning for parts of Scotland where severe flooding is likely causing 'danger to life' PICTURE: JPI Media and Met Office

The fourth named storm of the 2019-20 season, Dennis, is set to bring a second consecutive weekend of wet and windy weather after Ciara struck the UK with winds of up to 97mph.

A Met Office spokeswoman said: "Spells of heavy and prolonged rain are expected to affect southern Scotland during Saturday, particularly through the afternoon. Around 15-25 mm of rain will fall widely with 30-40 mm possible, this will combine with snow melt exacerbating the impacts.

"There's a potential for very strong winds to develop in association with Storm Dennis.

"The location and strength of the strongest winds is uncertain at this stage, but there is a small chance that winds will gust up to 70 mph for a time.

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"More typically winds will gusts to 50 mph at times. The strongest winds could also coincide with the Monday morning peak travel period."

Several fatalities were recorded during storm Ciara including a 77-year-old man from Clydebank who died after falling and banging his head during icy weather.

Cross-border journeys between England and Scotland were severely restricted last weekend.

Network Rail's network services director Nick King said: "As we saw last week, stormy weather brings high winds that can lead to trees and other debris falling onto the railway, and floods that prevent us from running trains on parts of the network.

"That is why we are again asking passengers to check their journeys before they travel this weekend, either with their train operator directly or through National Rail Enquiries.

"Our teams of engineers will again be out working at all hours and in all weathers to remove fallen trees and debris from the railway, repair damaged infrastructure and work to reopen lines affected by flooding."

Households living near rail lines are being urged to secure any loose items in their gardens, after several trampolines were blown onto tracks and overhead electric wires last weekend, blocking lines.

The storm is also likely to cause treacherous driving conditions.

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AA Patrol of the Year Ben Sheridan said: "The forecast looks bleak across the UK with warnings for wind and heavy rain which will significantly reduce visibility on the roads.

"For those who are braving the storm, drivers should make sure they account for the conditions. Slow down, allow for greater stopping distances and watch out for potential hazards."