Rail services have been called off, roads have been left impassable and a school was forced to shut after major flooding hit Perthshire.
Pupils were sent home from Kirkmichael Primary in the afternoon and two routes in the region have been forced to close overnight due to the “severe weather” conditions after the River Ardle burst its banks.
The railway line between Perth and Aviemore has also been closed as a result of flooding between Dunkeld and Pitlochry.
NEW: Due to flooding near #Aviemore, the line between Aviemore & Perth is currently closed.
Services between the Central Belt & Inverness will be replaced by buses between Aviemore & Perth. Valid rail tickets/Smartcards will also be accepted for travel via Aberdeen. ^AD pic.twitter.com/9hq3qbHmh8
— ScotRail (@ScotRail) December 18, 2018
#LNERUpdate Due to heavy rain flooding the railway, the 12:00 #KingsCross to #Inverness will be terminated at #Perth. It will no longer call at #Pitlochry, #Kingussie, #Aviemore and #Inverness. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
— London North Eastern Railway (@LNER) December 18, 2018
Sixteen flood warnings affecting Perthshire have been issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa).
They are in place for the following areas and rivers:
- River Tummel in Pitlochry
- The River Isla at Coupar Angus
- Upper Tay
- Logierait to Jubilee Bridge
- Kemphill to Bridge of Isla
- Innerpeffray to Bridge of Earn
- Glen Lyon, Dalguise
- Crieff to Innerpeffray
- Carse of Lennoch to Lochlane
- Caputh to Kinclaven
- Bridge of Ruthven to Leitfie
- Blairgowrie to the River Isla
- Ballinluig to Logierait
- Aberbothrie
A Sepa flood warning has also been issued for the Finavon and Tannadice areas of Angus. An alert is also affecting Dundee and Angus.
Meikleour Fishings took to Twitter to post footage of a raging River Tay from the Kinclaven Bridge, claiming the watercourse had already arisen by 8ft on Tuesday.
That's a whole lot of water coming down the mighty River Tay today. Lots of snow melt on the higher ground a whole day of steady rain has seen the river come up 8ft today and its still coming… pic.twitter.com/PnEhzBIuNL
— Meikleour Fishings (@MeikleourSalmon) December 18, 2018
Footage posted to social media also shows the severity of the flooding in the Kirkmichael area after the Ardle overflowed and spilled into neighbouring fields.
Local photographer and The Wee Scottish Gallery owner Karen Appleyard, who lives in the Enochdhu area, attempted to drive into Blairgworie via the A924 Pitlochry to Bridge of Cally road, but was forced to turn around due to the flooding becoming too severe.
She said: “It is pretty horrendous. By the time I got to Kirkmichael I thought ‘I’m going to have to go back’ and I turned around.
“I was headed down to Blairgowrie and within two miles I’d already moved through two very deep patches at that point.
“We have been shut off either side of the glen with flooding. There is an entrance into Kindrogan Forest heading towards Pitlochry, you can’t see any of the fields or anything. We now have a new loch.
“We have just had a weekend with no power and no water. We lost power on Saturday evening. We got the water switched on on Sunday evening. I got the power back on at about 7pm on Monday night.”
She said no local homes appear to have been affected by the floods.
#NEWS #WEATHER Extreme care is currently needed on A924.
Just driven from to Tulloch to Kirkmichael, River Ardle already burst in some places and water running off the hills in others, so road flooded in parts.
Back home and coffee until this too… https://t.co/NMKoZjYpBG— Karen Appleyard (@KarensPix) December 18, 2018
The Kirkmichael Hotel also closed because of the severe weather.
Manager Gary Norwood said: “It has been torrential rain all morning. The river burst its banks and flooded some of the roads in and out of the village.
“They look passable with care, but I would advise folk not to take the risk.
“We took the decision to close because the roads were getting really bad.”
He said: “It happens from time to time up here. The roads can get quite bad.”
A Perth and Kinross Council statement read: “Kirkmichael Primary School closed this afternoon, Tuesday, December 18 2018, due to severe weather.”
Road closures due to flooding update – A924 between Kirkmichael and Straloch and the C447 Pitnacree are both closed due to flooding. Both roads will remain closed overnight.
— Perth&KinrossCouncil (@PerthandKinross) December 18, 2018
Due to localised flooding Kirkmichael Primary School has been closed as a precaution. Please check the Council's website https://t.co/ADyxdlK8HG for updates.
— Perth&KinrossCouncil (@PerthandKinross) December 18, 2018
The local authority has also warned drivers to take care after heavy rain hit the region, forcing route closures.
Both the A924 road between Kirkmichael and Straloch and part of the C447 Pitnacree to Weem road have both been closed due to flooding. They will remain shut overnight.
https://twitter.com/PerthandKinross/status/1075035754181599232
The local authority said the A93 Perth to Braemar road at Main of Dulruzion/Black Water Outdoor Centre is “currently being assessed and may need to close for safety reasons”.
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Due to localised flooding Kirkmichael Primary School has been closed as a precaution. Please check the Council's website https://t.co/ADyxdlK8HG for updates.
— Perth&KinrossCouncil (@PerthandKinross) December 18, 2018
The local authority has also warned drivers to take care after heavy rain hit the region, forcing route closures.
Both the A924 road between Kirkmichael and Straloch and part of the C447 Pitnacree to Weem road have both been closed due to flooding. They will remain shut overnight.
Due to localised flooding Kirkmichael Primary School has been closed as a precaution. Please check the Council's website https://t.co/ADyxdlK8HG for updates.
— Perth&KinrossCouncil (@PerthandKinross) December 18, 2018
The local authority said the A93 Perth to Braemar road at Main of Dulruzion/Black Water Outdoor Centre is “currently being assessed and may need to close for safety reasons”.
Others affected by flooding are passable with care, including:
- The A924 – between the A93 at Bridge of Cally and Kirkmichael
- The A924 Ballintuim road
- B950 Kirkmichael Road
- B898 Dalguise road
- A926 at West Cairns
- C447 Dercolich Road
More to follow.
