A Met Office yellow warning for rain came into force at 7am on Friday as Storm Austen is expected to bring heavy rain to much of Scotland, with residents, drivers and business owners urged to take care.
Warning area and flood alerts
The warning area covers much of Scotland, stretching from the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway in the south to Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire. Parts of the west, including all of Ayrshire, Lanarkshire and Glasgow, are affected, with the majority of the east also forecast to be hit by rain.
The Met Office website said there is a “small chance” homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to buildings. Commuters have been warned to check the availability of trains and buses, while spray and flooding may affect drivers and cause road closures.
Possible disruption and further warnings
There is a chance communities may become cut off due to flooded roads, and power cuts are also possible, the forecaster said. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has 11 flood alerts in place in the same areas where the Met Office’s yellow warning is in place.
Sepa’s flood information system has three tiers, of which flood alerts are the least severe, with warnings and severe warnings brought in when the flooding is worse. There are currently no warnings or severe warnings in place.
Scotland faces more poor weather on Saturday and Sunday as a result of Storm Boelo, with an almost nationwide yellow wind warning in place from 6pm on Saturday until 9pm on Sunday.
