The Met Office has upgraded the north-east’s weather warning to the highest red level with Storm Babet about to descend on the region.
A red weather warning for rain has been added to an amber and yellow warning for rain and wind over tomorrow and Friday.
The red warning covers most of the east coast of Scotland from Stonehaven all the way down to Forfar.
Under the warning, the Met Office has said there is “danger to life from fast flowing or deep floodwater.”
Red warning for rain to bring ‘danger to life’
The warning covers Stonehaven, Inverbervie, Laurencekirk, Brechin, Forfar, Kirriemuir and Montrose.
Residents in these areas should expect extensive flooding to homes and businesses. As well as loss of power and other essential services such as gas, water and phone signal.
This could potentially result in communities being completely cut off, perhaps for several days.
The red warning is in place from 6pm tomorrow to 12pm on Friday.
⚠️⚠️🔴 Rare Red weather warning issued 🔴⚠️⚠️
Exceptionally heavy and persistent rain across eastern Scotland
Thursday 1800 – Friday 1200
Latest info 👉 https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs
Stay #WeatherAware ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/Ybig9DaQ6R
— Met Office (@metoffice) October 18, 2023
A flood alert has also been issued for Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen city tomorrow as heavy rain is expected to last until Saturday.
The warning follows some of the heaviest rain Scotland has witnessed since the 1890s, as the upcoming storm could hit some areas that were affected by flooding a couple weeks ago.
The weekend of October 7 and 8 saw 100 to 150mm of rain falling widely across many areas in the southern and central Highlands.
Travel chaos expected as Storm Babet descends on region
More travel is expected to be disrupted as the weather worsens, and it is likely that there could be power cuts across Aberdeenshire.
Police Scotland has warned to make trips, only if “necessary” as the Met Office has upgraded the warning to the highest level.
You can find the latest flood alerts in your area here.
Storm Babet is set to cause delays and disruption for road, rail and ferry journeys, with high-sided vehicles on exposed routes also at risk.
Train services running to Aberdeen have already been disrupted as the region braces for the impact of the storm.
As a result, operator LNER has confirmed it will be running no trains north of Edinburgh on both days.
A “do not travel” message is also in place from the company, with no services running at all on the lines through Fife, Dundee, Angus and Perthshire until Saturday at the earliest.
ScotRail are warning passengers to check their journeys before travelling as Storm Babet is likely to cause disruption to services tomorrow and Friday.
You can stay updated with the latest changes in forecast by visiting the Met Office website.
Storm Babet live updates: All the latest news, travel and disruption as Met Office signal red alert
