Flooding Outlook - Wednesday 21st January
Date published: 21 January 2026
A period of extended heavy and persistent rainfall from the evening of Wednesday 21st through until Friday 23rd will result in flooding impacts in central and northeastern Scotland. Impacts will include disruption to travel and impacts for communities through localised flooding of land, roads and flooding of properties. 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.
David Cooper, SEPA’s Flood Duty Manager, said:
“We’re expecting to see a period of persistent and heavy rainfall from tonight with widespread river and surface water flooding likely across central and northeastern parts of the country. The Met Office has issued an amber warning for rain covering eastern Tayside, the Angus hills and into Deeside. Flooding impacts are likely and may include flooding to parts of these communities and disruption to travel and infrastructure. Thaw of lying snow on higher ground combined with persistent rain, peaking through the day on Thursday, will further increase the flood risk.
“We are continuing to monitor the situation closely, working with the Met Office, Scottish Government and partner agencies. We will issue updates, Flood Alerts and Warnings as appropriate to ensure communities and responders have timely information.”
Notes to editors
An interview with David Cooper is available to download from SEPA's asset library.
You do not need to register but you will only be able to listen to the first 20 seconds until you download it.
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.