A warning for severe weather has been put in place for a large area of the West Highlands and North Argyll this weekend.
The Met Office has advised an amber warning is in place for Oban, Fort William, Kyle of Lochalsh and South Skye from 12am on Sunday until 11.59pm on Sunday.
It has forecasted that the worst affected areas of North Argyll, Lochaber and the North-West Highlands will experience “persistent” and “heavy rain”.
The national weather forecaster has also warned that there could be “significant travel disruption and flooding” on Sunday.
Amber warning of rain affecting Strathclyde https://t.co/m2Ky6e7JxO pic.twitter.com/SZcRXXIW2u
— Met Office – Strathclyde (@metofficeWScot) December 15, 2023
Transport Scotland has warned drivers that the rain will likely cause difficult driving conditions, such as reduced visibility and surface water.
Scottish Government Minister for Transport, Fiona Hyslop said: “The Met Office is warning us to expect another period of heavy rain this weekend, which will likely bring disruption to the transport network in parts of north west Scotland.
“Our trunk road teams will be out on the network to tackle any issues, but it’s important motorists also play their part and plan their journeys before setting off.
“Make sure your route is available, follow the travel advice from Police Scotland and drive in accordance with the conditions.
“The Traffic Scotland twitter/X page is regularly updated with the latest information on the trunk road network and the mobile website – my.trafficscotland.org – gives you access to the latest information on the move.
“If you are planning to travel by train, ferry or plane, please check with your operators as the forecast conditions also have potential to impact your services.”
Transport Scotland’s multi-agency response team will be in operation throughout the amber warning period, with its operating companies carrying out inspections of culverts and flooding hotspots and mobilising equipment ahead of the warnings coming into effect.
Police Scotland is also warning of a high risk of disruption in the areas affected by the amber warning.
Chief Superintendent Hilary Sloan, head of Road Policing, said: “Our advice is to plan ahead and consider if your journey is really necessary during the bad weather 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, be prepared for delays and allow extra time for your journey. Please don’t drive through road closures. The decision to close roads is not taken lightly and is done for public safety.”
Speed restrictions will also be in place across parts of Scotland’s Railway this weekend, with passengers advised to check their journeys on the West Highland (Mallaig-Fort William/Oban-Glasgow) and Kyle of Lochalsh lines.
The West Highland Line will operate under speed restrictions from Saturday afternoon until at least 9am on Monday, while the Kyle line will operate with restrictions from Sunday morning.
Heavy rain can cause landslips or wash the supporting stone (ballast) away from beneath the rails, while forecasted high winds also increase the risk of trees falling onto the track.
Slowing trains down during bad weather allows more time to stop if the weather causes trees or landslips to block tracks.
Network Rail’s specialist weather forecasters will monitor the situation around-the-clock and engineers will be ready to respond to disruption caused by the conditions.
Network Rail Scotland’s route director, Liam Sumpter said: “We’re expecting the severe weather to affect parts of Scotland’s Railway, particularly on routes in the north and west.
“Heavy, consistent rainfall across the weekend means we need to use speed restrictions on some lines to help keep our colleagues and passengers safe.
“Please check your journey with your train operator before travelling if you’re planning on using one of the affected lines.”
Several CalMac ferry sailings have also been cancelled due to a forecast of high winds and gales in over the weekend, with no services between Oban-Castlebay are expected to sail on Friday afternoon or Saturday.
Meanwhile, Mallaig-Armadale and Ullapool-Stornoway sailings have also been cancelled due to the weather, with more information and details on other disrupted services available from CalMac’s website.
A yellow weather warning has also been issued for most of the West Highlands, with this expected to last from 6pm on Saturday until 6am on Monday.
The Met Office has forecasted that this less severe warning will affect Mid Argyll, the Isle of Mull, Lochaber, the Small Isles and places further east, such as Crianlarich.
Yellow warning of rain affecting Strathclyde https://t.co/9Bq0hJVFpT pic.twitter.com/RXFlqbFIeh
— Met Office – Strathclyde (@metofficeWScot) December 14, 2023
An amber warning had been issued in many of the areas that were severely flooded on Saturday October 7 and Sunday October 8.
On that occasion up to a month’s worth of rain fell in some areas of Argyll, with Oban was cut-off and a landslide closing the A816 road between Lochgilphead and Oban.
The A816 is expected to open near Ardfern on Saturday at 1pm under convoy after more than two months of work was needed by Argyll & Bute Council and its contractors to remove over 15,000 tonnes of debris from that devastating landslide in October.
More information on weather warnings is available from the Met Office’s website ,with Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) providing updates on expected flood impacts.
SEPA has also put in place an amber warning for flooding in Argyll and Bute, Caithness and Sutherland, Easter Ross and Great Glen, Skye and Lochaber, and Wester Ross.
SEPA Flood Duty Manager, David Scott said: “Prolonged rainfall in the North-West of Scotland from Saturday evening and throughout Sunday is likely to bring significant surface water flooding impacts affecting transport infrastructure, including road and rail, and causing disruption to travel.
“Please don’t walk or drive into flood water. Remember that not only is flood water likely to be dirty, 30cm of fast flowing water can move an average family sized car, and just 15cm of fast flowing water could be enough to knock you off your feet.
“We would advise people to check transport routes and road conditions before travelling, check the Ready Scotland website for advice on preparing for severe weather, follow @SEPAFlood on X for the latest flooding information as well as checking our website for flood alerts in your area.”