Scotland is currently bracing for the turbulent onslaught of Storm Babet, with citizens urged to refrain from traveling and instead, seek shelter within the safety of their homes. This formidable tempest threatens to cause extensive flooding and considerable disorder.
The Met Office, an authority on weather predication in the UK, has pronounced a seldom-seen red weather warning, prompted by an extraordinary amount of rainfall expected to descend upon Aberdeenshire and Angus. The warning gravely indicates that the situation risks human life.
Storm Babet is presently wreaking havoc in Ireland, with the military being called upon to intervene in a town plagued by severe flooding that has affected over 100 properties. Furthermore, the Met Office’s weather warning extends from 18:00 on Thursday up to noon on Friday, with a forecast of 4-6 inches of rain to fall broadly within this period, with certain locations possibly enduring between 8-10 inches.
The red warning ominously predicts peril emanating from rapidly flowing or deep floodwater in Aberdeenshire and Angus. Proliferous flooding and consequent road blockades are anticipated, alongside warnings of winds exceeding 70 mph in coastal regions. Fallen or impaired infrastructure, power outages, and potential isolation of certain areas lasting multiple days are also predicted. In light of this, Angus Council has reaffirmed that the region’s schools will close at lunchtime on Thursday, with the closure extending into Friday.
Storm Babet’s relentless rains are anticipated to reach unparalleled levels in the northeast of Scotland, prompting the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to forewarn of flooding that carries potential for significant chaos. Concurrently, amber warnings are upheld across other regions in northeast Scotland and the Highlands, lasting over Thursday and Friday. Yellow warnings, considerably less severe, have been propagated over the rest of the country until Saturday.
With several parts of Scotland still dealing with flood waters from heavy rain earlier in the month, the new expected deluge from Storm Babet could bring some of the worst flooding since the 1890s.
The Scottish government’s Resilience Room conducted an emergency meeting on Wednesday evening, with representatives from Transport Scotland and SEPA in attendance. Shona Robison, the Deputy First Minister, underlined the gravity of the situation and strongly urged citizens residing in the affected regions of Angus and South Aberdeenshire to stay indoors and refrain from traveling.
In response to the weather warnings, ScotRail has preemptively canceled services on several routes across Scotland for Thursday and Friday. Residents not positioned under the red warning have been advised to monitor rail timetables before attempting to travel. Police Scotland has suggested that all forms of travel should be avoided during the red weather warning period.
It is noteworthy to mention that Storm Babet, a low-pressure system that developed to the west of the Iberian Peninsula, was officially named by the Met Office on Monday—the second named storm of the 2023/24 season.
Rain warnings were also issued for every county in the Republic of Ireland overnight, with Aberdeenshire Council encouraging residents to use sandbags to safeguard their properties. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) also issued caution regarding potential dangerous conditions along coastlines in the UK and Ireland due to the storm’s strong winds and heavy rains. Sam Hughes, RNLI water safety partner, has strongly advised the public to keep a safe distance from water bodies and cliff edges due to the risk of being swept away.
