Storm Babet Sparks Red Alert as Scotland Braces for Flooding

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Storm Babet has triggered a red alert in Scotland as exceptional rainfall and flooding pose a “danger to life,” according to the Met Office.

About 350 homes are being evacuated in Brechin, as Scotland braces for its first red weather warning for rain since Storm Desmond in 2015, according to the BBC. National Rail has said journeys across across Scotland, northern and eastern England may be affected by flooding.

The Met Office warned people to protect themselves and their properties from flooding, as well as avoiding cliff edges as coastal conditions could be “dangerous.” Some communities may be cut off for several days, and power and other essential services like gas, water and mobile phone coverage may also be lost due to the storm.

⚠️⚠️🔴 Red weather warning UPDATED 🔴⚠️⚠️
Exceptionally heavy and persistent rain across eastern Scotland due to #StormBabet
Thursday 1800 – Friday 1200
Latest info 👉 https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs
Stay #WeatherAware ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/AhhGEuYUM2
— Met Office (@metoffice) Oct. 19, 2023

“We’re expecting extensive river and surface water flooding in affected areas, with widespread impacts to transport and infrastructure,” said RNLI Water Safety Partner Sam Hughes. “There is a risk of more significant community scale property flooding — and there will be danger to life.”

Some locations may receive as much as 22 centimeters (8.7 inches) of rain, with wind gusts of more than 70 miles per hour, according to the Met Office.

A number of amber and yellow weather warnings will remain in place across Scotland and parts of England until the weekend.

Photograph: Waves crash over the harbour on Oct. 19, 2023 in Stonehaven, Scotland. Rare Red weather warnings are in place in Scotland and amber warnings in the north of England until Saturday as Storm Babet sweeps the country. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)