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River levels remain high as further heavy rain leads to risk of flooding across Scotland

Janine Hensman, Flood Duty Manager for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), said:

"The heavy rainfall over the last two days combined with snowmelt has meant widespread surface water flooding and rivers rising overnight.

"In the north where there has been significant snowmelt, rivers have yet to peak, and flows will be very high today and into tomorrow, particularly the Tay and Spey catchments.

"River levels in the south of the country peaked overnight are now falling. Coastal flood risk from surge and waves has reduced now Storm Isha has passed.

"We have issued Regional Flood Alerts and Flood Warnings as our rivers respond to the heavy rain and snow over the weekend. We continue to work with the Met Office to monitor the situation 24/7.

"Stay up to date by checking local warnings in force now for your area, and follow Met Office updates for weather impacts.

"People living, working and travelling in affected areas are advised to consider any steps they need to take now to be prepared and stay safe, and to take extra care if they need to travel.

"We advise people to sign up to Floodline to receive free updates for where they live, or travel through, directly to their phone. People can also check the three-day Scottish Flood Forecast to see what conditions are expected further ahead."

Be Prepared

• Check the Scottish Flood Forecast - developed in partnership with the Met Office, it provides the earliest indication possible of when and where flooding is expected over the next three days, and whether the source is from rivers, surface water or the sea.
• Sign up to Floodline and receive free flood messages letting you know when the area where you live, work or travel through is at risk of flooding.  
• Create a flood plan which includes knowing how to shut off your gas, water and electricity supplies.  
• Consider installing flood protection at your home.

Stay Safe

• Follow the advice of emergency responders.
• 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.    
• Stay away from flooded promenades and crashing waves around the coast.
• Consider deploying flooding protection products if required.

Stay Informed

• Follow @SEPAFlood on X for the latest flooding information.   
• Check the flood alerts and flood warnings for your area.
• Check your transport routes and check road conditions.
• Check Ready Scotland for advice on preparing for severe weather.

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.