Storm Babet bears down on Scotland prompting rare red weather warnings
Ilaria Grasso MacolaThe Met Office has issued several rare red weather warnings for Scotland as Storm Babet bears down on the country, forecast to bring high winds and heavy rain likely to severely disrupt travel on Thursday and Friday (19-20 October).
Airlines and airports have warned customers of potential flight delays and cancellations with a Met Office red warning for rain in place for eastern Scotland from 6pm on Thursday, running through to midday on Friday. As much as two months’ rain could fall in the space of a day, it has been warned.
There are several other amber and yellow warnings in place covering the entirety of Scotland and its islands.
The red alert warns of the potential for "exceptional rainfall" which is "expected to cause severe flooding and disruption". This includes "danger to life from fast-flowing or deep floodwater".
⚠️🔶 Very strong easterly winds in Scotland on Thursday morning with damaging gusts and persistent heavy rain in eastern areas due to #StormBabet
— Met Office (@metoffice) October 18, 2023
🌦️ Much lighter winds elsewhere with showers, heavy in places
📈 Bright or sunny spells for England and Wales and mild for October pic.twitter.com/3EZKislPSO
Met Office chief meteorologist Jason Kelly said locations such as Dundee and Lairg could be hit by floods, with up to 200mm of rain expected over the coming days.
“Storm Babet will track gradually northwards in the coming days, and although the most significant impacts are expected within the red and amber warning areas, there will still be wider impacts for much of the UK from this wind and rain,” said Kelly.
Ryanair has advised customers to check the airline’s app before travelling to their departure airport, while Loganair has offered customers travelling to and from Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness, Kirkwall and Sumburgh the option to change their flights free of charge.
“You can choose to rebook on an alternative flight up to seven days from your original travel date,” the Scottish carrier said in a statement. “We plan to fly all our scheduled services. We have standby aircraft and crews in place to help recover disrupted services as soon as the weather permits.”
Edinburgh airport, meanwhile, has urged people to be careful while travelling to the airport, while Aberdeen airport has told passengers to contact their airlines and check the status of their flight before heading to the airport.
⚠️| Weather warnings are now in place across parts of Scotland.
— Edinburgh Airport (@EDI_Airport) October 19, 2023
Check with your airline for any flight updates, and take care if you're travelling to the airport.#StormBabet https://t.co/MG29o4CPn2
TTG has approached several other airlines – including British Airways, Jet2.com, easyJet and Wizz Air – for comment on the potential disruption, all of whom serve Scotland’s major airports.
The Met Office warnings highlight the potential for road closures, as well as disruption to rail and bus services which could hinder travellers’ efforts to reach their departure airport or destination.
There are yellow warnings in place for parts of eastern England on Friday, as well as an amber warning for rain covering central areas of the country from regions north of Birmingham up to Northumbria and the Scottish borders.
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Ilaria Grasso Macola
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