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Flooding Outlook - Saturday 24 October

Pascal Lardet, SEPA’s Flood Duty Manager, said:

“Wet and windy weather will continue this weekend as Storm Boelo moves its way across Scotland.

“Through Saturday a band of persistent rain will affect most of Scotland and by the evening, the weather will turn much windier bringing widespread high winds and severe gales. Surface water and river flooding will remain a possibility through Saturday and Sunday particularly affecting the north of Scotland and the Upper Tayside, Upper Dee and the Spey catchments. However, there is particular concern around coastal flooding impacts for western areas. Large waves and rising tidal levels will increase the likelihood of flooding to low-lying coastal roads and local travel disruption, in particular around the Firth of Clyde.

“We would urge people to be extra careful if near the coast and stay away from flooded promenades and crashing waves.

“A Met office amber weather warning for wind is now in place running between 9pm on Saturday through until 9pm on Sunday night, resulting in high waves and a risk of coastal flooding.

“The flood risk will continue to remain elevated across this weekend and into next week, so we are urging people to remain vigilant, particularly around coastal areas and stay up to date with the latest information by checking our flooding page and staying up to date on SEPA's website and social media channels.”

Notes to editors

People are encouraged to sign up to the Floodline service to receive free 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 and have a look at the three day Scottish Flood Forecast to see what’s expected further ahead.

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.
• Be extra careful if near the coast. Stay away from flooded promenades and crashing waves.
• Consider deploying flooding protection products if required.

Stay informed

• Follow @SEPAFlood on X for the latest flooding information.   
• Check the Regional Flood Alerts and Local 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?

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 to measure the exact water height. They are issued at shorter notice when we are more certain that a specific area will be affected.

Friday 23 October

A period of extended wet and windy weather will bring disruption to large parts of Scotland across the weekend. We continue to work with the Met Office to monitor the situation 24/7 and will issue regional Flood Alerts and local Flood Warnings as necessary.

Pascal Lardet, SEPA’s Flood Duty Manager, said:

“It’s going to be a particularly wet and windy period over Friday and the weekend across Scotland as two named storms, Storm Austen and Storm Boelo, sweep their way across the UK and bring disruption.

“Sustained heavy and prolonged rain throughout Friday will lead to high river levels and possible flooding impacts quite widely across southern, central and eastern areas. This could also cause surface water flooding on roads and around properties, difficult driving conditions and disruption to travel.

“The stormy weather will continue through Saturday as a band of heavy rain moves east and affect large parts of western and central Scotland with possible localised flooding, including the flooding of land, roads and individual properties. Coastal flooding impacts are also possible for western areas as large waves and rising tidal levels increase the likelihood of flooding to low-lying coastal roads and local travel disruption, in particular around the Firth of Clyde.

“The weather will then turn much windier through Saturday evening as Storm Boelo moves in and brings widespread high winds and severe gales in the north of Scotland. A Met office amber weather warning for wind is now in place running between 9pm on Saturday through until 9pm on Sunday night, resulting in high waves and a risk of coastal flooding. Surface water and river flooding will remain a possibility during this time as rain continues to fall.

“The flood risk will remain elevated across this weekend and into next week, so we are urging people to remain vigilant and stay up to date with the latest information by checking our flooding page and staying up to date on SEPA's website and social media channels.”