Tayside weather warning extended and flood alert issued as 150mm of rain forecast

A weather warning covering much of Tayside has been extended.

On Wednesday the Met Office issued a yellow alert of rain from noon on Thursday until noon on Saturday.

It covers Angus, Dundee and parts of eastern and northern Perthshire – the areas worst affected by Storm Babet late last week.

Now the warning has been placed for an additional 24 hours – until noon on Sunday – “to account for a likely slower clearance”.

The Met Office also says there could be as much as 150mm of rain over the next four days.

And Sepa has now issued a flood alert for Dundee and Angus.

Met Office says some places could have up to 150mm of rain

The updated Met Office warning said: “Further rain is expected across eastern Scotland between late Thursday and early Sunday, the rain heavy in places, although possibly easing off for a time later Friday or early Saturday.

“Accumulations over this period will be widely around 30 to 40 mm near the coast, with 50 to 100 mm likely to fall over higher ground where there is a possibility of up to around 100-150 mm in a few locations.

“Rain will be less heavy than last week but falling on to already saturated ground is likely may lead to further flooding in places.”

It added that spray and flooding could lead to difficult driving conditions and road closures.

There may be delays or cancellations to train and bus services, homes and businesses could be flooded, and buildings could be damaged.

“There is a small chance of fast-flowing or deep floodwater,” the warning continued.

Sepa says rivers ‘not expected’ to reach Storm Babet levels

Sepa’s flood alert for Dundee and Angus says river levels are expected to rise overnight on Thursday and remain high during the weekend.

“River levels are not expected to be as high as experienced during Storm Babet,” the alert added.

“As the rain will be falling onto already wet ground, flooding from surface water runoff may also cause impacts.

“Impacts may include property flooding, flooding of low-lying land and roads and disruption to travel, particularly in areas where there are ongoing flooding impacts.”

The news will be of concern to people living in areas such as Brechin, where dozens of people have been forced out of their homes after flooding.

Storm Babet also led to the deaths of three people, including two from Arbroath.