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]

I'm in the little calm corner around East Lothian. We seem to be completely fine!
All the same, I'm debating putting the trampoline away for the winter this afternoon. I always worry it will blow over the fence in a storm. Even though this one is not particularly windy.

Everything is bright and fine in Edinburgh, but we are due to fly to London tomorrow early and then travel up the East coast by train on Sunday. No idea what travel disruption will await us, but I'm hoping we'll sneak in our flight and it'll all be over by Sunday...

I the NE, too. I remember the gales we had, last year, with no hint of a warning.

Poor Ds1 has to head out for his first day of a work placement, tomorrow. Hopefully we'll have the forecast lull in the rain by the time he sets off as he has a bit of a walk when he gets there.

Think the wind has changed direction slightly but still really blowy here (on holiday, static caravan, SW coast near Budleigh Salterton) but the rain has started and it's torrential! (Pictures of a stormy sea this morning - no way am I venturing on to the beach today!)

Fingers crossed for DS @PickAChew

I'm thankful that I got my two loose ridge tiles repaired / made good last week. I know from recent experience that we need to be prepared here as we often get gales / high winds that are not forecast.

Just been out to pick my recycling bin up and wedge it against the others. The downside of giving up alcohol a year ago is there's no bottles to weigh it down any more! 😄

Great pics @GloriaSmud !
Love a bit of sea drama. Keep warm. Hot chocolate time?

RainbowZebraWarrior and Good Luck to your son tomorrow, PickAChew.

NE here too, just had sandbags delivered to our area closet to the local ponds/burn as the burn hasn't recovered from the rain a few weeks ago and will this time probably flood into houses.

@heldinadream I'm sitting watching the rain beating against the patio doors at the moment and you can feel the caravan being buffeted by the wind. The walls are moving as well (it's similar to when a child is sitting behind you and they're giving the occasional push against the back of your seat with their feet.)

I can't believe there haven't been any wind/rain warnings for the SW - there are weather photos of toppled/damaged beach huts at Paignton so think some warnings were/are needed for the area.
(Definitely time for hot chocolate for me though!)

You know the weather is serious when Tomas Schafernaker is wearing black trousers and proper shoes. Surely his version of a black tie.

Damage and disruption along the Devon coast.

😲

You need to develop a serious jam habit, @RainbowZebraWarrior

Another updated graphic.

@GloriaSmud My DGM lived in Dawlish, so we would go down at least once a year. We were there for Christmas 1962, and up to the New Year. But something delayed our return In those days there was still a field opposite her house, so we made lots of snowmen, and had a whale of a time. It was just the right sort of snow.

Meanwhile my DF went home to South London, and had to dig his way in to his own front door. For some time, later that Winter, we received reports from DGM as to the diminishing size of the snowman we had made in her garden. The piles of snow along the sides of the pathways in London took 2-3 months to vanish.

We are on hols in the SE. We’ve done our booked country house tour today, picked up a chilled bottle of wine and snacks and are in our hotel room having a picnic. Grim out there.

On the way down a few days ago, we had an “issue” with the car’s sun roof, in that it detached and blew off. Fortunately no other traffic around for it to affect. The hole in the roof is covered with tarp and gorilla tape. It’s tucked in a quiet corner of the car park and booked in as soon as we get back tomorrow!!

You need to develop a serious jam habit, @RainbowZebraWarrior

or Nutella. My glass recycling sometimes seems like it’s mainly Nutella jars thanks to ravenous teens and their mates.

I thought our dear monarch had choked on a fish bone!

We still talk about Tomas's lockdown hairstyle. It's become the third person in our marriage.

@SequentialAnalyst <sigh>, happy times. Snow seems so much more exciting when you're young!

Yikes Bimblesalong

MorrisZapp ~ , I remember Tomas's flowing locks from that time!

Things have calmed down a lot here ~ within about 10 minutes the wind had died away to almost nothing. It's raining but that isn't as heavy as it was.

Torrential rain has stopped and normal soft rain has resumed. Flooding and traffic delays remain in Co. Cork.

I see from family photos (and some stolen from media 🤣) that Midleton in Co Cork (south coast Ireland and on edge of Cork Harbour) has been totally flooded as a months' worth of rain fell in the past day and the trains are stopped and roads impassible due to flooding. And road around to the edge of the harbour is blocked by a truck stuck in a ditch with a river going around it on what used to be the road at Saleen Hill (which is pretty steep).

Meanwhile it was mostly dry in Dublin at lunchtime but has been raining heavily for the past couple of hours and there are delays on trains but still moving.

I'm in Northumberland and we are in a flood zone. Our house has actually flooded in the past (before we moved in fortunately) and the landlord, who lives next door, was filling sandbags today. I anticipate our flood doors will be on over the next couple of days.

Looking at the map we are on the edge of the blue area but apparently the higher areas in the North East are more at risk.

We lost power during Storm Arwen for three days and I have already had a text from Northern Power advising of possible issues over the next few days. We also had a flood warning during the heavy rain the other weekend and although the river level has dropped back down it was scary how quickly it rose after just a day of heavy rain.

Luckily the main cable which supplies our village has just been renewed as we lost power for about seven hours the other day as a large bird flew into the cable and cut the whole village off.

The wind is picking up in the last few hours where I am. We are a bit above the red warning and still reeling from the flooding last week. Glad I'm not working as I'm a home carer so would have to be driving around whatever the weather is doing.

Am concerned about travelling from Cheshire to St Andrews for the Open Day on Saturday.
Due to start out Friday afternoon to Cumbria then Cumbria to St Andrews Saturday morning.
will make last minute decision I think on Friday morning.

I think you are wise to keep an eye on it Quietflame.

After reading another thread, a firm reminder - unless you have absolutely no choice ie it's an emergency, or you are an absolutely vital key worker, you should not be going anywhere in a red warning. Nor should you try and beat the warning by nipping somewhere just before it starts.

Forecasts are not exact. Severe weather can intensify earlier than expected. It also is embedded in a longer lasting amber warning. Amber warnings are only issued when conditions are expected to be substantially disruptive and dangerous.

The boundary of the red warning should also be considered to be fuzzy. You aren't 'safe' on one side of it and 'unsafe' on the other side.