The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings across parts of Wales, Scotland and southern England as Storm Ingrid hits the UK with heavy rain and gusts of up to 60mph. The warnings are in place until 9am on Saturday, with forecasters warning of flooding and travel disruption.
Met Office chief forecaster Neil Armstrong said the slow-moving system, named by the Portuguese weather service, could bring more than 20mm of rain on already saturated ground, increasing the risk of impacts. Gusty winds of 45-50mph inland and 60mph on southern coasts are expected, along with large waves.
Road closures are in effect in parts of Scotland, and ScotRail has imposed speed restrictions on several routes, including Inverness to Edinburgh and Glasgow to Dumfries. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued 26 flood warnings and seven flood alerts.
Three people were rescued from stranded vehicles in Aberdeenshire on Thursday morning. Two were rescued from a minibus on the B977 near Kintore, and one from a car near Banchory. Firefighters attended both incidents.
Looking ahead, the Met Office warns of possible snow in northern and eastern areas next week, with wintry conditions expected. Storm Ingrid follows Storm Goretti, which caused widespread disruption less than two weeks ago, closing hundreds of schools and leaving 65,000 homes without power.
