UK weather: Scottish town braced for evacuation order as Storm Babet hits
The UK is braced for power cuts, school closures and travel disruption, and there are warnings that a Scottish town may have to be evacuated, as Storm Babet takes hold.
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) said on Thursday that residents of Brechin may need to be evacuated from their homes if the Angus town’s flood defences are deemed to be at risk of being breached.
The Met Office has issued rare red weather alert from 6pm on Thursday in Scotland, referring to a “danger to life from fast-flowing or deep flood water” in Aberdeenshire and Angus. An updated warning now covers Perth and Dundee and some surrounding areas, with extensive road closures expected.
A Sepa spokesperson, Pascal Lardet, said forecasts suggested water levels would reach the limit of flood defences in Brechin and a decision would be made on Thursday afternoon on whether Police Scotland should order an evacuation.
The Met Office said arts of northern England, the Midlands and Wales could also be affected by flooding in the coming days. Storm Babet is expected to bring 70mph gusts and more than a month’s worth of rain in the worst-affected regions.
An amber weather warning is in place in central and northern England, including Nottingham and Sheffield, eastern Scotland and a small stretch of eastern Wales from noon on Friday to 6am on Saturday due to persistent heavy rain. Homes and businesses are likely to be flooded and some communities could be cut off by flooded roads, forecasters said.
In these areas, between 1.6in (40mm) and 2.4in (60mm) of rain is likely, with the potential for between 3.2in (80mm) and 4.7in (120mm) on higher ground.
After the first red warning for rain in the UK since Storm Dennis in February 2020, Sepa put eight flood warnings in place as of 11am on Thursday, along with 14 flood alerts. There may be power outages in Scotland and some areas could be cut off for days, with people urged to check for flood updates, avoid travel and expect school closures.
Angus council said schools would close at lunchtime on Thursday and remain shut on Friday to “ensure the safety of children, young people, parents, and school staff”.
Mass train cancellations have been imposed by ScotRail, expected to last from Thursday until Saturday. An amber wind warning has been issued for parts of eastern Scotland.
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) warned the public against going near cliff edges and the coast during the storm. Michael Avril, the regional water safety lead for Scotland, said: “It is a possibility that being too close to water and cliff edges in these conditions could knock you off your feet or wash you into the sea. It is not worth risking your life.”
Storm Babet hit Ireland on Wednesday after sweeping in from the Atlantic, with heavy rain causing extensive flooding in parts of the country. Members of the Irish defence forces were deployed in the town of Midleton, in County Cork, where more than 100 properties were flooded. Cork county council said more than a month’s worth of rain had fallen in the space of 24 hours.
Large swathes of Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern and eastern England will see strong winds and heavy rain on Thursday, with yellow severe weather warnings issued through to Saturday.
The Met Office said heavy rain would continue across northern and eastern parts of Scotland overnight, with heavy showers elsewhere, spreading to most areas by dawn.
On Friday, conditions will remain very unsettled across much of the UK, with heavy rain affecting many parts but especially the east, combining with strong winds.
Storm Babet, a complex area of low pressure that developed to the west of the Iberian peninsula, was named by the Met Office on Monday morning. The second named storm of the season is expected to last until Saturday, the forecaster said.