Scotland has been hit by ‘biblical’ downpours, hours before an amber ‘danger to life’ warning was issued for back-to-back storms which could bring hurricane-level winds.
uncertain
which → hit → winds
Storm Austen arrived on Friday with heavy rain across much of the country, while Storm Boelo will follow on Saturday and Sunday with gales of up to 70mph expected widely.
asserted
gales → arrive → mph
Gusts of up to 80mph, hurricane level, are likely in exposed coastal areas with Scots told to stay at home unless travel is absolutely necessary.
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travel → expose → home
Torrential rain in Shetland on Thursday night caused flash flooding and a landslide, closing the road between Garderhouse and Reawick.
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rain → cause → Garderhouse
Several cafes, restaurants and shops around Lerwick were also hit by floods.
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cafes → hit → floods
Johnny Sandison, who works at the Lerwick Brewery, said the rain was ‘biblical’.
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rain → work → Brewery
He told BBC News: ‘It was probably the heaviest rain I have ever seen in Shetland in my life.
‘When the cars were going past on the road, you could see these massive waves were coming up above the height of the cars themselves.’
A walker gets caught in a downpour as he pushes a pram at the Forth Bridge in South Queensferry on Friday
The downpours hit the archipelago hours before the Met Office’s yellow weather warning for rain across the central belt.
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downpours → tell → belt
Yellow alerts for wind on Saturday were upgraded to amber - with the potential danger to life - ahead of Storm Boelo.
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alerts → upgrade → Boelo
The strongest gusts are expected to hit western Scotland this evening, before spreading eastwards overnight and into Sunday.
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gusts → expect → Sunday
The Met Office said: ‘Flying debris is likely and could lead to injuries or danger to life.’
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debris → say → life
It added that there is a ‘good chance’ of powercuts which could affect mobile phone coverage, while damage to buildings and trees is ‘likely’.
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damage → add → buildings
Network Rail has announced it will close its lines in the west and north of Scotland over the weekend, with speed restrictions in place on other routes.
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it → announce → routes
Craig Gorman, head of operational weather strategy at Network Rail Scotland, said: ‘We know closing lines and slowing trains will have a significant impact on people’s plans this weekend, and these aren’t decisions we take lightly.
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we → say → plans
‘But when we’re facing weather of this scale, we have to put safety first and make sensible calls before conditions deteriorate.’
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conditions → face → calls
Transport Scotland has also warned that disruptions to road, rail, air and ferry services are likely.
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disruptions → warn → services
Cabinet secretary for economy, tourism and transport Stephen Flynn said: ‘The strong winds may lead to restrictions on some bridges and exposed routes, as well as impacts across ferry, rail and air services.
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winds → say → services
‘Anyone planning to travel should check conditions before setting out and allow extra time for their journey.’
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Anyone → plan → journey
Superintendent Andy Barclay, deputy head of road policing for Police Scotland, said: ‘The amber warning for wind means there is a high disruption on the road network and travel conditions may be hazardous.
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conditions → say → network
‘Our advice is to plan ahead and consider if your journey is really necessary or if it can be delayed until conditions improve.’
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conditions → plan → ?
The Met Office advised Scots to ‘stay indoors as much as possible’ and avoid driving, as well as prepare for power cuts by gathering torches, batteries, a mobile phone power pack and other essential items.
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Office → advise → torches
This dog kept its paws dry after flooding struck Shetland on Thursday evening
Pascal Lardet, flood duty manager for Scottish Environment Protection Agency, said: ‘Sustained heavy and prolonged rain throughout Friday will lead to high river levels and possible flooding impacts quite widely across southern, central and eastern areas.
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rain → keep → areas
‘This could also cause surface water flooding on roads and around properties, difficult driving conditions and disruption to travel.’
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This → cause → travel
The RNLI urged Scots to ‘exercise extreme caution’ in coastal areas.
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RNLI → urge → areas
Its regional water safety lead Michael Avril said: ‘Storm Austen and Storm Boelo are set to bring potentially dangerous conditions so we’re asking the public to stay vigilant and not take unnecessary risks by travelling to coastal locations.
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we → say → locations
‘If you are near to the coast or a waterside location, we urge you to stay a safe distance from the water as conditions could knock you off your feet or wash you into the sea.’
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conditions → urge → sea
Ministers have also activated the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGORR), which is used to prepare for emergency situations, in preparation for the extreme conditions.
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which → activate → conditions
Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP, Cabinet Cecretary for Social Justice and Housing, said: ‘Our resilience and emergency system, SGORR, has now been activated to co-ordinate our response, and I am grateful for the work of partners across the country to keep everyone safe.
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I → say → everyone
‘SGORR will continue to monitor the situation closely over the weekend and provide regular updates to the public.’
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SGORR → continue → public
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