Storm Babet is lashing Scotland with warnings of major flooding, landslides and the prospect of record amounts of rain.
The storm is expected to bring 70mph gusts and more than a month’s worth of rain in the worst-affected regions in Scotland on Thursday.
The RNLI is warning people in Scotland to stay away from the coast during the storm, stressing the risk of being washed into the sea, and Scottish Water has said staff are on stand-by as sewers could flood.
And the British Geological Survey has also warned that Storm Babet could cause landslides in areas where the weather is worst.
A rare red Met Office warning – the highest level of alert – says that from 6pm on Thursday there is “danger to life from fast-flowing or deep floodwater” in Aberdeenshire and Angus in eastern Scotland, with extensive road closures also expected.
The storm could bring up to 200mm to 220mm of rain in some areas of eastern Scotland, an amount close to the highest ever 24-hour total for a “rainfall day”, Met Office figures show.
Some 238mm of rain was measured at Sloy Main Adit in Argyll & Bute between 9am on January 17 1974 and 9am the following day.
Less serious amber warnings for wind and rain have also been issued for parts of northern England, the Midlands and northern Wales from noon on Friday to 6am on Saturday.
But amber warnings still raise the prospect of injuries and danger to life, power cuts and damage to buildings and flooding.
We're also likely to see some utilities such as electricity, gas, water, maybe mobile phone networks being cut off and some communities could get cut off due to the flood water and that could last for several days
Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill said: “Across parts of Scotland, particularly where we have the amber and red warnings, we have the risk of some severe disruption as well as the usual things, such as disruption to travel with road closures and cancellations to public transport.
“There’s the risk of some damage to property with the heavy rain and strong winds, including the risk of some flooding.
“We’re also likely to see some utilities such as electricity, gas, water, maybe mobile phone networks being cut off and some communities could get cut off due to the flood water and that could last for several days.”
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”.
Mass train cancellations have been imposed by ScotRail and are expected to last from Thursday until Saturday.
This is the first red warning for rain issued in the UK since Storm Dennis in February 2020.
An amber wind warning has also been issued for parts of eastern Scotland.