An amber weather warning for rain has been issued for much of the west of Scotland this weekend, with a “danger to life” alert in place in Fort William, Inveraray and Oban.
Heavy downpours have been forecast to bring disruption to Scotland’s transport network and cause infrastructure issues in several areas, such as Glasgow, Argyll, Lochaber and other parts of the Highlands.
The Met Office has issued an amber warning for these areas, which will be in place from 3am on Saturday October 7 until 6am on Sunday October 8.
A yellow warning for rain also remains in place for large parts of central and northern Scotland throughout Saturday until early on Sunday morning.
It has been forecast that as much as 180mm of rain could fall in some areas, with a 100mm of rain expected in all of the areas within the amber alert warning.
Transport Scotland have informed drivers that the rain will cause difficult driving conditions, with reduced visibility and surface water likely.
Police Scotland has also warned that there is a high risk of travel disruption in the areas affected by the amber warning.
A multi-agency response team will be operational throughout the amber warning period and Transport Scotland’s operating companies will carry out inspections of their road network and flooding hotspots.
Scottish Government transport minister, Fiona Hyslop said: “It’s important people plan their journeys before they set off. Motorists should make sure their routes are available, follow the travel advice from Police Scotland and drive in accordance with the conditions.
“The Traffic Scotland twitter/X page is regularly updated and the mobile website – my.trafficscotland.org – lets people get the latest information on the move.
“If you are planning to travel by train, ferry or plane, please check with your operators to see if the conditions are having any impact on your services.”
Head of Road Policing, chief superintendent Hilary Sloans added: “Our advice is to plan ahead and consider if your journey is really necessary or if it can be delayed until conditions improve.
“Stopping distances can be at least double on wet roads compared to dry conditions, and spray can reduce driver visibility.
“If you need to travel, please drive to the conditions and take extra time for your journey.”
The Met Office amber alert is in place for the areas surrounding Fort William, Oban, Inveraray, Crianlarich and for the eastern part of the Morven Peninsula.
Nearby areas, including all the Inner Hebrides, Skye and North Kintyre, as well as the Lochgilphead and Mallaig areas have a yellow warning for rain in place.
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) is expecting a “widespread flooding event” to occur on both Saturday and Sunday.
SEPA’s flood duty manager, Ruth Ellis said: “A major rainfall event is expected, bringing significant prolonged heavy rain throughout Saturday over the Southern Highlands and western Central Belt, with more heavy rain in the north on Sunday.
“As a result, we’re likely to see extensive river and surface water flooding impacts across those areas.
“Danger to life, widespread property flooding, flooding of roads and disruption to infrastructure is possible.
“We would advise people living and working in the affected areas to consider any steps they need to take now to be prepared for flooding impacts and consider whether their journey is necessary.
“Regional Flood Alerts have been issued and more locally specific Flood Warnings will be issued as necessary. We will continue to keep a very close eye on the situation, monitoring 24/7 as well as working closely with the Met Office and other partner agencies.
SEPA has also advised people to sign up to Floodline to receive updates on how flooding might be affecting specific areas, with flooding advice on the Floodline website.
The latest information on SEPA’s regional flood alerts and flood warnings is available from www.floodlinescotland.org.uk/floodupdates.
The full Met Office amber waring covers the following areas:
- Argyll and Lochaber
- The Highlands
- Aberdeenshire
- East Renfrewshire
- East and West Dunbartonshire
- Glasgow
- Inverclyde
- Perthshire
- Parts of Stirling