Storm Babet bringing exceptional rainfall to Scotland

• Alerts and Warnings as at 1pm - check floodline.sepa.org.uk/floodupdates for latest situation

• Twelve regional Flood Alerts

• Six localised Flood Warnings

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has begun issuing localised Flood Warnings as Storm Babet approaches.

Rain is already moving across the country, with flooding impacts expected to start this afternoon and into the early evening.

The heaviest and most prolonged rainfall is expected over Aberdeen City, Dundee and Angus, Tayside, Aberdeenshire and Caithness & Sutherland, where some exceptional levels are forecast over the next 24 hours.

So far Badenoch and Strathspey appears to have escaped the worst of the storm with mainly high gusts of rain and persistent rainfall at present.

However, there are concerns that if there is no let up over the next 24 to 48 hours then the flood waters will start to rise again with the ground already saturated from heavy downpours earlier this month.

A flood alert has been issued for the Findhorn, Nairn, Moray and Speyside region.

It states: "Heavy and persistent rainfall from Thursday through until Saturday may lead to some flooding issues. Speyside should generally experience some shelter from the heaviest rain but imapcts are still possible from smaller rivers or due to surface water.

"At this point the main River Spey does not look like it will rise too much but the ground will still be saturated, flooding to low-lying land and roads is possible.

"SEPA will continue to monitor the situation and further updates will appear here if the situation changes.

"Remain vigilant and remember, it is your responsibility to take actions which help protect yourself and your property.

"Advice and information is also available through Floodline on 0345 9881188.

"This FLOOD ALERT is now in force until further notice and was sent by phone and sms free of charge to registered customers of our Floodline direct warning service. If you haven't already signed up to receive free flood messages, please call Floodline or register online at sepa.org.uk/floodingsignup.

"Your Floodline quick dial number for this area is 22300."

SEPA has said Babet is bringing extensive river and surface water flooding is expected, with widespread impacts to transport and infrastructure.

There is a risk of more significant community scale property flooding – and there will be danger to life.

Other parts of Scotland are also at risk of flooding as rivers respond and drainage systems become overwhelmed.

SEPA said the risk of river flooding is exacerbated by the fact that many catchments are already saturated following recent heavy rainfall events.

There is also concern that surface water flooding may be made worse by debris blocking drainage and culverts as a result of the high winds.

An additional band of rain is forecast to impact the east of the country on Saturday, which will prolong the event and keep rivers high.

It is important people keep up to date by following weather information from the Met Office and flooding advice from SEPA.

Expert staff in SEPA’s flooding team are working round the clock to check forecasts and models, update Flood Alerts, issue Food Warnings and ensure that partners and responder agencies have the latest information.

Pascal Lardet, SEPA Flood Duty Manager, said: “There is exceptional rainfall forecast for parts of Scotland over the next 24 hours, and this will lead to significant flooding from both surface water and rivers.

“Regional Flood Alerts were issued over the last two days to provide early awareness, and localised Flood Warnings started to be issued this morning.

"More will be issued across the day, so I do encourage people to check our Flood Updates for all the latest information. You can also follow @SEPAFlood on X.

"However, it is important to stress that not all areas that could be affected have Flood Warning schemes, so please do take a Flood Alert in your area as advance notice that you could be affected.

“Follow the advice of the emergency services and take action now to protect yourself and your property.

"Hazards can be hidden, so please don’t walk or drive into flood water. Remember that not only is flood water likely to be dirty, 30cm of fast flowing water can move an average family sized car, and just 15cm of fast flowing water could be enough to knock you off your feet.”

SEPA continues to work with the Met Office to monitor the situation 24/7.

As well as live information at Flood Updates, people can check the three-day Scottish Flood Forecast to see what conditions are expected further ahead.

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