The remnants of ex-hurricane Bertha have brought some very high rainfall totals and strong winds across parts of the UK – with severe conditions continuing in parts of Scotland today.
Some places saw more rain in 24 hours than they would expect in the entire month of August. Some of the notable totals include:
- Fair Isle in Shetland saw 132.6 mm of rain between 10 am on Saturday and 10 am on Sunday, which is almost double the 70.3 mm full-month average for August. This is now the wettest ‘day’ of the year so far for the UK, but it should be noted this rain came from a system which preceded Bertha.
- Lossiemouth in Moray saw 100 mm of rain between 10 am on Sunday and 10am on Monday, which compares to a full-month average of 61.9 mm. Normanby Hall in Humberside saw 50.6 mm of rain during the same time, just under its August full-month average of 58.6 mm.
Numerous other spots saw high totals over the weekend and the rain has continued in parts of Scotland through the first part of Monday.
There have been some severe impacts in Scotland, where heavy and persistent rainfall has resulted in a number of surface water flood problems – including property flooding and transport issues across the North East of Scotland.
Marc Becker, SEPA’s Duty Hydrology Manager, said: “We are now seeing the larger rivers respond and further flooding impacts are anticipated in Huntly, Elgin and communities along the River Spey including Kingussie, Newtonmore, Aviemore, Aberlour, Rothes, Garmouth and Kingston. There is also the possibility of issues on the Dee, Don (including impacts to camp sites adjacent to these rivers) and Findhorn later today.
“We’re continuing to closely monitor the situation, update Floodline and work with our partners in Police Scotland and local authorities. The latest alerts and warnings are available on our [Met Office] website and you can also sign up on our website to receive them direct to your phone, for free. Do remember that not every area in Scotland is covered by a flood warning scheme, if there is a flood alert out for your area you should prepare for flooding.”
In Scotland, The heaviest of the rain should ease and become more showery. The region’s larger rivers will continue to rise for some time to come and the full impacts may not be realised until later this afternoon.
SEPA added that they expect the situation in most areas to ease through this evening and overnight.
Wind gusts over the weekend have also caused problems – with numerous events cancelled across the country.
- The strongest gusts so far were recorded at the Needles, Isle of Wight (64 mph at around midday on Sunday) and the Tain Range, Ross and Cromarty (62 mph at around 8 am on Monday).
- At mountain observation sites, gusts are always stronger – Cairngorm Summit, with an elevation of 1,237 metres, saw a top wind speed of 108 mph at about 8 am on Monday.
As the low pressure from ex-Bertha continues to move away from the UK, conditions should become gradually more settled as weather improves through to the end of the week.
