Storm Babet: Red weather warning for as Scotland braces for heavy rain and floods

‘Danger to life from fast flowing or deep floodwater’ in Aberdeenshire and Angus

A rare red weather alert warning of a “risk to life” has been issued for parts of Britain as Storm Babet sweeps in from the Atlantic with strong winds and torrential rain.

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for parts of eastern Scotland on Thursday, while yellow warnings for rain cover eastern England and the rest of Scotland on Friday.

The red warning states there is “danger to life from fast flowing or deep floodwater” in Aberdeenshire and Angus, with extensive flooding and road closures also expected.

It is the first red warning for rain issued in Britain since Storm Dennis in February 2020, and covers from just north of Dundee up towards Aberdeen, and inland towards Balmoral. It begins at 6pm on Thursday and is active until midday on Friday.

Storm Babet will last until Saturday, the Met Office said, and is expected to cause flooding, power cuts and travel disruption.

It has already caused flooding on roads in Ireland. Rain warnings for every county in the Republic of Ireland were in place overnight.

Chief meteorologist Jason Kelly said: "Confidence has increased in the chances of considerable impacts from rainfall in parts of the east of Scotland from Storm Babet, which has resulted in the escalation to the red warning.

“One hundred to 150mm of rain is expected to fall quite widely within the warning period, with some locations likely to see 200-250mm, which is expected to cause considerable impacts, with flooding likely.”

He continued: “Storm Babet will track gradually northwards in the coming days, and although the most significant impacts are expected within the red and amber warning areas, there will still be wider impacts for much of the UK from this wind and rain.”

David Morgan, flood duty manager for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, urged people in the affected areas to check for flood updates in the coming days.

He said: “Impacts from surface water and rivers are likely, and with catchments saturated from recent heavy rain and flooding, we’re urging people to be prepared for potential flooding.”

Scotrail has already announced the cancellation of train services, and police have warned drivers not to travel.