Scottish school shuts due to flooding as thunderstorm warning update issued

A school in Scotland’s south was forced to shut due to flooding, with pupils sent home, as a yellow thunderstorm warning was issued for northern and eastern areas of mainland Scotland on Monday.

Moffat Academy, in Dumfries and Galloway, closed on Monday, after both floors of the main building suffered "major water ingress" following heavy rainfall in the area.

The council confirmed the secondary school, which has a school roll of 250 pupils, had been shut to all year groups due to the damage.

The school was expected to reopen on Tuesday.

Moffat Academy, in Dumfries and Galloway, which has been forced to shut due to flooding. Picture: Google Maps | Google Maps

Thirteen flood alerts were in place across Scotland on Monday. Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City, Central, Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh and the Lothians, Fife, Tayside and the Scottish Borders were among the areas where alerts had been issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa).

The agency had said: “Given the forecast intensity and duration of the showers, more widespread impacts could occur with potential for deep fast flowing water and damage to infrastructure. There is an additional risk of river flooding, mainly from small watercourses.”

The Met Office had issued a yellow thunderstorm warning starting from 11am and extending to 10pm on Monday, with 30mm to 40mm of rain and disruption possible in local areas.

The Outer Hebrides and the Isle of Skye had a separate warning for rain in place from midnight to 9am, but the rainfall had not been expected to be as heavy. It comes after large parts of the country saw slow-moving showers and thunderstorms throughout Sunday following heavy rain earlier this week.

The Met Office said of the thunderstorm warning, which covered Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen and Perth, that spray and sudden flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures.

There was a chance of delays and some cancellations to train and bus services. The Met Office had also warned of potential power cuts and that services to some homes and businesses could be lost.

Greg Dewhurst, meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “There are some subtle differences – I think generally, England and Wales will see less frequent and less heavy showers compared to Sunday, so there should be some longer, drier spells in between.

“But it is worth, if people are heading out, having a brolly and raincoat as there is a chance almost anywhere of having a shower, true for Northern Ireland too, actually.”