PARTS of Scotland have been warned to expect a month’s worth of rain in just 24 hours – even before we suffer a lashing by the remnants of Hurricane Ernesto.
The summer storm is expected to lead to transport disruption and the closure of roads prone to landslides in Argyll.
7
7
7
7
Coastal areas will be battered by winds of up to 60mph, producing ‘a danger to life’ for anyone near the sea.
The yellow warning period begins at 9am on Wednesday and lasts until 6pm on Thursday, with power cuts predicted and flooding damage to homes and businesses.
Areas affected include Central, Tayside and Fife, Highlands and Islands and western districts of Strathclyde.
The main cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen fall outwith the warning area but can still expect prolonged rainfall over the two days.
Ahead of this period of wild weather, caused by low pressure to the south of Iceland, a separate warning for heavy rain has been issued for later tomorrow in Dumfries and Galloway.
Then later in the week, what’s left of Hurricane Ernesto will make landfall across western Scotland.
The tropical tempest struck Puerto Rico and Bermuda at the weekend, causing a loss of power to 71 per cent of the British Overseas Territory’s population.
Weather maps show Ernesto’s projected path arcing from the east coast of America over the North Atlantic towards the UK, arriving midweek.
Most read in The Scottish Sun
The warning states: “A band of rain is expected to move in from the southwest on Wednesday morning, becoming slow moving with heavy bursts of rain at times, especially over the hills.
“(As much as) 75-100 mm (4 inches) is expected over the course of Wednesday and Thursday for some places, with the main bulk of the rain falling within a 24-hour period.
“As much as 150 mm (6 inches) is possible over some hills.
“The rain will be accompanied by strong southwesterly winds, with gusts perhaps reaching 50-60 mph on the coast and around the islands.
“With spring tides expected, this could also lead to some potentially dangerous conditions on the coast, with spray and wave overtopping.
“Peak winds are expected during Wednesday evening. Winds will ease through Thursday, along with a gradual clearance of the rain by the end of the day.”
The turbulent conditions will arrive just as we approach the end of the meteorological summer. The season has been unusually cold and dull and last week, a house in Aviemore in the Highlands was destroyed by one of 13,000 lightning strikes to hit the country.
What to expect from the weather?
- There is a slight chance of power cuts and loss of other services to some homes and businesses
- There is a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings
- Where flooding occurs, there is a slight chance of delays or cancellations to train and bus services
- Spray and flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and some road closures
- There is a small chance that some communities will become cut off by flooded roads
- There is a small chance that injuries and danger to life could occur from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, coastal roads and properties
Met Office forecaster Tom Morgan said: “Yes, it’s still summer if you believe it.
“We are seeing a forward-running area of low pressure arriving ahead of former Hurricane Ernesto later in the week across western Scotland.
“With tropical air in the mix, you can expect extremely high rainfall in the warning areas. The totals being predicted amount to the equivalent of a month’s worth of rain for that part of Scotland in August.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
“Ernesto arrives later on Wednesday and will impact the weather into Thursday as well.
“All in all, it’s looking like a pretty autumnal week across Scotland.”
7
7