Severe Flood Warnings issued

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued three severe Flood Warnings for the Aviemore and Carrbridge areas with very high river levels forecast for the early hours of Tuesday morning along the River Spey, with a danger to life.

Further warnings are in place over large parts of Scotland with rivers expected to continue to rise, especially across Speyside, the Great Glen and Tayside where impacts are most likely.

A meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGORR) – chaired by Justice Secretary and Minister for Resilience Angela Constance and attended by the First Minister and senior Ministers – has been held tonight to ensure appropriate measures are in place to deal with the severe weather expected.

The Met Office has issued an amber warning for rain that covers parts of the southern Highlands and Moray, valid from midnight tonight until 5pm tomorrow. A yellow warning for rain and snow covering much of the rest of Scotland remains in place until midnight tomorrow. There is also a yellow warning for wind across southern Scotland from 7am to 11pm tomorrow.

Police Scotland is encouraging road users in the area covered by the amber warning to consider whether they need to travel and are advising people to avoid travelling into the area.

Travel disruption is expected across Scotland, with Transport Scotland making preparations across the trunk road network. Rail, ferry and airport operators are also working to ensure that people can reach their destination over the remainder of the festive period, when it is safe to do so and once the worst of the conditions have passed or expired.

Ms Constance said:

“Severe flood warnings with a danger to life are rarely issued and it’s imperative all those in the affected areas play their part to stay safe. I would urge everyone to take action now by staying away from flood water and not taking any unnecessary risks. Please follow the advice of emergency services and first responders on the ground, and where advised to evacuate please do so.

“I would also recommend to keep updated with Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s live flooding updates and consider now any steps needed to be prepared for flooding impacts. With amber and yellow warnings issued for a combination of rain, wind and snow across the country, I have chaired a meeting of SGORR to ensure that we are acting as quickly and safely as possible to mitigate the impacts of the severe weather.

“I know many people will have plans to celebrate Hogmanay with friends and family but with road, rail, air and ferry services all likely to be affected by the conditions, I would urge everyone to please plan ahead to make sure it is safe to travel, and to follow Police and Transport Scotland travel advice on the roads. Anyone planning to travel by rail, air or ferry, should also stay in contact with their operator for the latest service information.

“The Scottish Government’s resilience committee will continue to monitor the situation overnight into Tuesday, and keep Ministers fully updated.

“Advice and information for the public is available at Ready.Scot and the Scottish Government will continue to work with all relevant agencies to closely monitor the storm and its impacts and ensure support is provided to those affected.”

Cordelia Menmuir, Flood Duty Manager for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said:

"We have issued three severe flood warnings for the Aviemore and Carrbridge areas. As a result of heavy and prolonged rainfall overnight very high river levels are forecast for the early hours of Tuesday morning along the River Spey. There is a danger to life.

“The severe flood warnings are for Sluggan to Dulnain Bridge, Kincraig to Inverdruie, and Aviemore/ Dalfabar. Extensive river flooding is forecast and there will be widespread disruption to transport, infrastructure, and property flooding. Remember to follow the advice of emergency responder and do not walk or drive through flood water."

Background

Ministers attending the meeting included First Minister John Swinney, Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government Shona Robison, Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero Gillian Martin and Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity Jim Fairlie.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) issues flood alerts and warnings for Scotland. View the latest updates on their website.

For trunk road information visit the Traffic Scotland website.

Updates on ScotRail services and road conditions are available online.

Advice on preparing for severe weather can be found on the Ready Scotland website.

Latest weather advice can be found on the Met Office website.