Why is it so windy? Where Met Office red weather warnings are in place today as Storm Babet hits UK
Storm Babet will see heavy rain and 70 mph winds smash into parts of the UK on Thursday, with a rare “danger to life” red weather warning issued by the Met Office.
The worst-affected regions could see over a month’s worth of rainfall in a day, as the Met Office alert warns that from 6pm there is “danger to life from fast-flowing or deep floodwater” in Aberdeenshire and Angus in eastern Scotland, with extensive road closures expected.
From 6pm until midday on Friday, the warning will be in place for the regions of Central, Tayside and Fife and Grampian in Scotland.
It is the first red warning for rain issued in the UK since Storm Dennis in February 2020, while an amber wind warning has also been issued for parts of eastern Scotland.
Yellow severe weather warnings for strong winds and heavy rain have been issued through to Saturday for Scotland, Northern Ireland and northern and eastern England.
The storm has already caused extensive flooding in parts of Ireland, after sweeping in from the Atlantic on Wednesday.
Cork County Council said more than a month’s worth of rain had fallen in the space of 24 hours, leading to unprecedented flash floods, saturated land and high river levels across the county.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued three flood warnings along with 14 flood alerts.
There may be power outages and some areas could be cut off for days, with people urged to check for flood updates, avoid travel and expect school closures, the agency said.
Mass train cancellations have also been imposed by ScotRail, expected to last from Thursday until Saturday, while Angus Council said schools will close at lunchtime on Thursday and remain shut on Friday to “ensure the safety of children, young people, parents, and school staff”.
Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst said: “We’re going to see prolonged heavy rain, where we could see 200 to 250 millimetres of rain falling within a day which is well over a month’s worth of rainfall for eastern parts of Scotland.
“We’re likely to see flooding, power disruption, travel disruption, there is a risk to life as well.”
What is a red weather warning and where are they?
A red weather warning means dangerous weather is expected and it is very likely there will be a risk to life, with substantial disruption to travel and energy supplies and possibly widespread damage to property and infrastructure.
Those in the affected area are warned to avoid travelling, where possible, and follow the advice of the emergency services and local authorities.
An amber weather warning means there is an increased likelihood of impacts from severe weather, including potential risk to life and property.
There is the possibility of travel delays, road and rail closures and power cuts.
A yellow weather warning is issued when it is likely the weather will cause some low-level impacts, including some disruption to travel in a few places.
Some yellow warnings are issued when the weather could bring much more severe impacts to the majority of people but the certainty of those impacts occurring is much lower.
