Storm Babet - Extreme rainfall NE Scotland and widely elsewhere*

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings#?date=2023-10-19

An unusually early warning for the low possibility of some extreme rainfall for NE Scotland at the end of the week. Note the text of the warning!

Please keep a close eye on this one and be prepared to act if necessary. Ensure that if you live in an at risk area that you are ready.
https://ready.scot/respond/severe-weather/rain-and-flooding

*[Please note - title edited again by MNHQ at OP's request to reflect evolving situation]

[octodrive]

Thank you for posting this

Some places have barely recovered from last weekend

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

I can imagine octodrive.

[CoffeeBeansGalore]

Thank you for the heads up!

[QuietFlame]

Oh gosh, due to go to St Andrew’s Open Day on 21
😩

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

I think Thursday/Friday look worse at present, but the warnings will almost certainly evolve some over the coming days.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

The storm is now named as Storm Babet with a possible 200mm coming out of it Wed-Sat. Warnings are quite like to turn amber.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Thank you for updating the title @mnhq It makes sense to have everything under one banner for this storm.

Warnings now covering a wider area than just Scotland from Wednesday onwards. https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings#?date=2023-10-18

[GloriaSmud]

We're on holiday in the South-west at the moment and it's quite a blowy day ~ the static caravan we're staying in is rather creaking a bit! Wednesday is forecast for rain all day ~ I'm surprised we're not included in the rain warnings as well but maybe that'll come later.

[Igneococcus]

B**cks, planning to go and see dd in Edinburgh Fri-Sun.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

The winds will definitely be a factor too!

The met office have produced an excellent graphic highlighting what cumulative rainfall totals might look like by the end of Saturday.

[lochmaree]

thank you for this. we are SW.

[SequentialAnalyst]

I can only say Yikes!!!!

[IrishSee]

Oh no! We're booked to do an Irish Sea crossing on Saturday, do you think it might be blowing itself out by then? It's a long drive in bad weather with DC and animals plus the ferry crossing at the end, I'm tempted to delay to the Sunday now.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Irishsee, difficult for me to know and I'm always slightly loathe to comment on travel conditions, especially so far out. All I can suggest is to keep an eye out on warnings. I'm not sure that wind wise you'll definitely be better off on Sunday. ECMWF shows a little 'pop up' low pressure zipping through on Sunday. If it were me personally, I'd pack for a tricky journey but still look at going on Saturday, unless the warnings worsen further.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Four days of warnings. https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings#?date=2023-10-18

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

And here are Met Éireanns warnings. https://www.met.ie/warnings/today

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Amber warnings out now. https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings#?date=2023-10-19

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

And another nice graphic.

Much better to follow these, than anything I can offer at the moment! If you are in areas highlighted, with previous flood history, make sure you are prepared. No point in getting your car stuck in flood waters uneccessarily. Also, no point in waiting for the council to sort sandbags, if you've needed them in the past under these sorts of prolonged rainfall events.

[SequentialAnalyst]

I once heard a BBC weather forecaster explain how to plan a weekend outing, while maximising the likelihood of good weather.

It amounted to the following: If Saturday is nice, then go. If it isn't, then don't go. But you will have to go on Sunday, then, whatever.

I think that strategy may not be applicable to sea crossings, but I do have this tip for minimising seasickness. Remember to find somewhere where you can see the horizon, and keep looking at it. This gives your brain vital information about what the underlying level playing field is, IYSWIM, or you could say rather, what a level sailing sea would be i.e. flat calm. This helps your brain process the fact that the sea is far from calm atm .

[GloriaSmud]

Signing in again from a static caravan in the SW. It's been quite a blowy day but the wind has increased over the last few hours (I can't believe there aren't any weather warnings for the area.) You can feel the caravan being buffeted by the wind, the sea has some of the highest waves I've ever seen and they've pulled the boats off the beach.

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Impressive Gloria!

There is a chance that a red warning may be issued for the NE of Scotland, where the rainfall total is expected to be highest. This will depend on how certain they are of a very dangerous impact of this rainfall.

[octodrive]

LNER have already cancelled London to Inverness and Aberdeen services for tomorrow afternoon/evening. They are terminating at Edinburgh, York and Newcastle.

[octodrive]

They have also now announced no trains north of Edinburgh on Thursday and Friday

[OhYouBadBadKitten]

Looks like SE England could be badly hit too. No real issues of flooding from hills round this region, but lots of urban issues to cause challenges.

Im going to ask long suffering @mnhq to change the title again.

[FuzzyCaoraDhubh]

The second day of torrential rain in Co. Cork. A lot of flooding in parts. It really is something else to have two days of rain like this in a row.