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Flooding outlook – Tuesday 10 January 2023

“With already saturated ground, there is the potential for localised river and surface water impacts in the west and south west Scotland into Wednesday morning. There could also be flooding in parts of communities, property and agricultural land. Disruption to the transport network is also possible, including difficult driving conditions.

“Coastal areas may also see localised disruption to travel and flooding of low lying land and roads due to wave overtopping.

“Regional Flood Alerts are in place, and people living and working in affected areas are advised to plan their essential journeys and consider the steps they need to take now to be prepared and to stay safe.

“People are encouraged to sign up to the Floodline service to receive updates for where they live, or where they’re travelling through, directly to their phone. People can also check flood updates for all the latest updates.

“SEPA works 24/7 to monitor conditions and is in close contact with the Met Office and other partners to understand and communicate the flooding risk.”

Mark Franklin, Flood Duty Manager for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said.

Staying informed

• Check the latest information on SEPA's regional flood alerts and local flood warnings.
• Check the latest advice on what to do to prepare for flooding
• Register for SEPA’s free Floodline message service online by calling 0345 988 1188
• Check the three day Scottish Flood Forecast

Be prepared and stay safe

• Don’t walk through flood water – 15cm of fast flowing water could be enough to knock you off your feet and hazards can be hidden under the water.
• Drive with care, and do not travel through deep fast flowing water. It only takes 30cm of fast flowing water to move an average family sized car.
• If you’re walking beside rivers be extra careful of wet footpaths and small watercourses.
• Consider deploying flooding protection products if required.

What’s the difference between a flood alert and a flood warning?

We use forecast weather information provided by the Met Office combined with our own observation of rainfall and river levels and advanced hydrological modelling to provide advance warning of flooding.

• Regional Flood Alerts are early advice that flooding is possible across a wider geographical area. The purpose of the Alerts is to make people aware of the risk of flooding and be prepared. We normally issue them 12 to 24 hours in advance of the possibility of flooding.
• Flood Warnings are more locally specific and are issued for areas where we have gauges on rivers to measure the exact river height. They are issued at shorter notice when we are more certain that a specific area will be affected.