The United Kingdom is grappling with significant travel disruption and widespread flooding as a relentless band of heavy rain continues to batter several regions. The Met Office has issued a series of severe weather warnings, including an amber alert indicating potential danger to life.
Severe Warnings and Immediate Dangers
An amber weather warning, the second most severe level, remains in force for parts of eastern Scotland, specifically Angus, Perth and Kinross, and Aberdeenshire, until 6pm on Thursday. The Met Office has explicitly warned that fast-flowing or deep floodwater is likely in these areas, presenting a clear and present danger to life.
Furthermore, multiple yellow warnings for rain are active across the nation. These cover a large portion of Scotland, Northern Ireland, and parts of south Wales and south-west England, indicating that further flooding and travel disruption should be anticipated by residents and commuters.
Transport Network in Turmoil
The transport infrastructure has been severely impacted. In Scotland, key arterial roads including sections of the A9 and A85 have been affected by flooding. Access to Bogindollo in Angus from the A90 remains completely closed in both directions.
Rail services are facing major hurdles. Network Rail Scotland has imposed speed restrictions on several critical routes due to the extreme rainfall. These include the Aberdeen-Inverness line, the Perth-Inverness Highland Main Line, the West Highland Line, and the Glasgow Central-Stranraer route. ScotRail has warned passengers to prepare for potential delays and cancellations throughout the day.
Flood Alerts and Environmental Concerns
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has escalated its response, issuing a total of 22 formal flood warnings and six flood alerts across the country. This indicates a high risk of flooding to properties and communities, urging residents to take immediate precautions.
South of the border, the situation remains precarious. A yellow warning for south Wales, Somerset, and parts of Devon and Dorset predicts up to 20mm of rain falling on already saturated ground, significantly increasing the risk of localised flooding and associated disruption until 4pm Thursday.
Further Disruption Across the UK
Northern Ireland is also under a yellow warning from 10am Thursday, with forecasts predicting substantial rainfall. Up to 40mm could fall in some areas, particularly on high ground, with 15-25mm expected widely. The Met Office advises that homes and businesses in the most affected regions are likely to experience flooding, with public transport facing delays or cancellations and some communities potentially becoming cut off.
Additional hazards include the threat of power cuts, and drivers are being strongly urged to exercise extreme caution. Ferry services are not immune; operator CalMac has cancelled all Oban-Coll-Tiree services for Thursday and warns that other routes may face last-minute cancellations or delays.
High winds have also caused problems, leading to restrictions on the Forth Road Bridge during the morning commute, with drivers advised to take care on various other crossings around Scotland.
The Met Office forecasts that the heaviest rain should clear to the north east later on Thursday, but the aftermath of the flooding and ongoing saturation will likely cause disruption to linger into the evening and potentially Friday.
