Some parts of Scotland saw a month's rain in 24 hours
The Scottish Government's thanking responders for their efforts in dealing with the disruption across the Central belt
Last updated 8th Oct 2023
A weather warning for heavy rain's now been lifted across the region, although downpours are set to continue for the north east of Scotland where an amber alert's in place until 2pm.
Yesterday, some parts of Scotland saw a month's rain in 24 hours. Cars were stranded on roads across the central belt.
10 motorists had to be airlifted to safety after drivers were trapped near Inveraray in Argyll and Bute.
An Amber weather warning's still in place north of Perth, with a severe flood warning for Aviemore.
What's being described as "biblical" rainfall yesterday saw railways becoming rivers, leading to cancellations across the network.
Scotrail's advice is to check before you travel today. The rail operator's warning many services will start later due to safety checks.
The company’s communications director, David Ross, said: “We saw some extreme rainfall across the country yesterday, which flooded large parts of the railway.
“Because of that, disruption will continue – Network Rail has to check routes to make sure that they’re safe to operate.
“So, our advice to anyone planning to travel today is to check the website, take a look at the Scotrail app, before leaving the house, to make sure you know exactly what’s happening.”
The heavy rain and flooding saw the closure of the Highland Main Line between Perth and Inverness and LNER called off services north of Newcastle.
SEPA has also issued over 50 flood warnings since the downpour began.
Jonathan Vautrey from the Met Office said:
“We are expecting the band of rain that’s been across Scotland to gradually push its way northwards over the course of Sunday and it’s here we could see heavy amounts of rainfall throughout the day.
“These regions have already seen 30-40mm throughout Saturday but we could see up to up to 80mm falling which does lead to further of flooding and transport disruption over the course of the day.
“All of the Met Office’s warnings are issued in line with public safety and it is important that people stay up to date and take heed of them.”
Yesterday, ten motorists were airlifted to safety after drivers were trapped by landslides near Inveraray in Argyll and Bute, while kayakers took advantage of floodwater in Inverclyde and paddled down submerged streets.
On Saturday afternoon Justice Secretary and Minister for Resilience Angela Constance chaired a meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Committee (SGoRR), which was attended by First Minister Humza Yousaf, Transport Secretary Màiri McAllan, Transport Minister Fiona Hyslop and key responder agencies.
They discussed the immediate response to the local impacts, as well as further actions being taken to support those communities most affected.
Ms Constance said:
“As the weather warnings outline, heavy rainfall is expected to continue in many parts of the country into Sunday and some areas will have a month's worth of rain over the course of the weekend. I would urge everyone across the country to heed the travel warnings being issued by Police Scotland and others – in particular, drivers in Argyll and Bute should avoid travel due to the significant disruption across the road network.
“We are aware that the initial, most severe impacts have been felt by people and businesses in Argyll and Bute, as well as other areas in the west and north of the country. Ministers are receiving regular updates on the situation from partners, including SEPA, the Met Office, and Police Scotland as it unfolds. This afternoon I convened SGoRR in recognition of the severity of the situation which will continue to develop over the next 24 hours.
“I am grateful for the efforts of partners and volunteers to help the public stay safe and where possible to restore services.
“Anyone seeking live updates should follow these partners organisations on social media, and can also consult the Ready Scotland website for general advice.”