Danger to life warnings as Met Office issues amber alert with heavy rains set to batter parts of UK
18 November 2022, 09:37 | Updated: 18 November 2022, 09:45
The Met Office is warning of danger to life with heavy and persistent rain expected to cause flooding and disruption in parts of the UK.
The weather warning has been in place since midnight for parts of eastern Scotland, with flooding and disruption to public transport likely. It covers Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Angus and Perth and Kinross until 3pm today.
Forecasters have predicted that certain areas within the amber warning area could see one month of rain in just a couple of days, with possibly up to 150mm arriving in parts of the Grampians and Cairngorms.
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An amber weather warning means homes and businesses are likely to face flooding and suffer damage. Deep floodwater is expected to build, causing danger to life. There is also a 'good chance' some communities will be cut off by flooded roads.
It comes as other parts of the UK were battered by heavy rain yesterday, including York, where the River Ouse burst its banks.
Cars were also left stranded in floodwaters in the River Adur near Shermanbury in West Sussex. Motorists were given warnings about stay off the road due to the expected heavy rain.
Met Office spokesman Craig Snell said: "The warning areas are where we are most concerned about the risk of flooding, but it doesn't mean that the areas outside them are not going to see some pretty atrocious conditions."
Minister for transport Jenny Gilruth in Scotland said: “The Met Office is warning us to expect a period of difficult weather in parts of eastern Scotland throughout Friday, with heavy rain likely to impact travel in the amber warning area in the North East.
“The conditions could potentially bring disruption to the transport network, so it’s important people plan their journeys before they set off – particularly if they’re looking to use the trunk roads or travel by rail."
