Region braced after new storm forecast
Further downpour and strong winds on way as people advised not to travel
Perth and Kinross is once again bracing itself for rain and potential flash floods in the wake of another weather warning being issued for much of the rest of this week.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said yesterday ( Wednesday) that Storm Babet was set to bring “heavy rain and strong winds” from the evening of October 18 into the weekend.
The Met Office also issued an ‘Amber’ alert, with warnings of the potentially “extremely heavy rain” to come – with parts of Tayside said to be at risk of as much as 150 millimetres of rain.
A Met Office spokesperson said: “The Met Office has issued an ‘Amber’ warning as Storm Babet approaches and will bring disruptive rain and strong winds in the coming days.
“The influence of Storm Babet will begin to be felt late on Tuesday and into Wednesday as heavy and, in places, disruptive rainfall will move in from the south and west, impacting Northern Ireland and much of England and Wales.
“As the rain moves northwards it will stall across central and eastern parts of Scotland where the rain will become heavy and persistent from Thursday through to Saturday.
“There is an ‘Amber’ severe weather warning for rain for this area, where up to 150 to 200mm of rain could accumulate in some
areas of higher ground.
“Strong south-easterly winds will also create dangerous conditions along the east coast of the UK.”
Tony Wardle is a deputy chief meteorologist with the Met Office.
He said: “Storm Babet will bring disruption for parts of the UK in the coming days, with heavy rain and strong winds likely for many.
“Heavy and persistent rain will fall onto already saturated ground bringing a risk of flooding. It is important to stay up to date with warnings from your local flood warning agency as well as the local authorities.
“As well as heavy rain, Storm Babet will bring some very strong
winds and large waves near some eastern coasts too.
“Gusts around 70mph are possible in eastern and northern Scotland from Thursday. Met Office warnings will continue to be reviewed as the forecast develops.”
A representative for SEPA said the storm may impact some of the communities still recovering from flooding experienced over the weekend of October 6 and 7.
David Morgan, SEPA’s duty flood manager, said: “The forecast for the end of this week is showing extremely high rainfall totals, and people should be thinking now about the action they can take to protect themselves and their property.
“If you haven’t already signed up for Floodline, I would strongly advise you to do so.
“The service is free and can give you advance notice of flooding in your area.
“Scotland experienced a significant rainfall event that caused extensive flooding in local communities only a few days ago and, with catchments still saturated, we’re urging people to be prepared for flooding.
“We are looking at some forecast totals that are even higher over the next few days, so please do use this time to plan and prepare.
“Further regional Flood Alerts and localised Flood Warnings will be issued as required over the coming days. We continue to work with the Met Office to monitor the situation 24/ 7. People can check our flood updates for all the latest information and the three-day Scottish Flood Forecast to see what conditions are expected further ahead.”
A spokesperson for Perth and Kinross Council said: “The council is aware of the Met Office ‘Amber’ warning of heavy rain and ‘ Yellow’ warning of high winds and SEPA’s ‘Amber’ flood warning, which are expected to bring significant disruption to parts of Scotland, including Perth and Kinross, as a result of Storm Babet.
“We have consequently been preparing for the potential impact of these severe weather conditions.
“Our officers will monitor the situation in liaison with partner agencies.
“We will check and clear as appropriate trash screens on burns and rivers which the council is responsible for, and sandbag stocks have been replenished ahead of the predicted conditions for distribution as required.
“We will continue to do our best to respond to requests for assistance and will be working with our community resilience partners including residents, local resilience groups, Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, SEPA and SSE.
“Where possible, residents and businesses should take appropriate precautions to protect their own property in advance of any potential weather event.
“There are a number of road locations which suffered flood damage in the recent rainfall event and the council will continue to work to repair these.” People are advised to:
• Register for SEPA’s free Floodline message service by calling 03459 881188 or see www. floodlinescotland.org.uk;
• Check www. floodlinescotland. org. uk/ floodupdates for regional alerts and warnings as they are issued;
• Check the Floodline Scotland website for advice on how to prepare.
In addition, the council is also undertaking a review of the recent flood event. Anyone affected is asked to call 01738 475000 or send an email to flood@pkc.gov.uk.