Weather: Scots braced for month’s rain in 24 hours

Drivers were urged to exercise caution in hazardous conditions after the Met Office issued an amber alert yesterday advising people to be prepared for weather problems in Grampian, the Borders, Lothians, Central Scotland, Tayside and Fife.

A less severe yellow warning was in place for Strathclyde, while the Borders was among parts of the UK expecting to be deluged by up to three inches of rain in 24 hours – the equivalent of an average month’s rainfall. Forecasters said people were likely to wake up this morning to more “nasty” weather, particularly in the North-east around Inverness.

A spokesman for the Met Office said yesterday: “So far, winds have not been particularly high and they have only reached about 40mph, but between midnight and about 5am they are

expected to gust up to 75mph.

“Most of the rain will be across East Lothian and the

eastern Borders and the high winds will affect the east coast from Peterhead to the Forth of Firth.

“The west will be fairly sheltered, although it will be breezy.

“Tomorrow it will still be quite nasty around Inverness at about 9am with more wind and rain. It will ease later but more rain is on the way.”

Nine flood alerts were also put in place by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) for rivers around the country yesterday.

Roads were restricted due to gales, including the Forth Road Bridge which was closed to high-sided vehicles as wind speeds increased, reaching about 40mph by early yesterday evening.

One driver in the Borders had a lucky escape after a falling tree clipped his car – damaging the wing – as it came down. The

incident blocked a road over the Gattonside Heights which had to be cleared by an emergency response team from the Scottish Borders Council.

Conditions caused further problems for commuters south of the Border with flooding on railways and roads.

Drivers in regions across the UK, including Tayside were warned to take care on flooded roads.

Meanwhile, the Royal Life Saving Society UK urged people to stay away from floodwaters following the second day of heavy downpours across the British Isles.

Di Standley, chief executive of RLSS UK, said: “People are often curious to see rivers at their peak but this can be dangerous. It’s vital not to underestimate the power of floodwater.

“We’re calling on everyone to be proactive and to learn about water safety to protect themselves and their loved ones.”

This year has already seen

repeated downpours lead to the wettest April on record and the wettest summer for 100 years.