Amber weather warning: Met Office say heavy rain will hit central Scotland this weekend

Flood alerts are also in place for many areas with heavy rain forecast 3am tomorrow (Saturday) until 6am on Sunday, October 8.

The rain will bring difficult driving conditions, such as reduced visibility and surface water. Police Scotland is warning of a high risk of disruption to travel in the areas affected by the amber warning.

Minister for Transport Fiona Hyslop said: “The Met Office is forecasting heavy rain this weekend, which will likely bring disruption to the transport network in parts of Scotland.

“It’s important people plan their journeys before they set off. Motorists should make sure their routes are available, follow the travel advice from Police Scotland and drive in accordance with the conditions. The Traffic Scotland twitter/X page is regularly updated and the mobile website - my.trafficscotland.org - lets people get the latest information on the move.

“If you are planning to travel by train, ferry or plane, please check with your operators to see if the conditions are having any impact on your services.”

Ruth Ellis, flood duty manager for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), said: “A major rainfall event is expected bringing significant prolonged heavy rain throughout Saturday over the Southern Highlands and western Central Belt, with more heavy rain in the north on Sunday.

“As a result, we’re likely to see extensive river and surface water flooding impacts across those areas. Danger to life, widespread property flooding, flooding of roads and disruption to infrastructure is possible.

“We would advise people living and working in the affected areas to consider any steps they need to take now to be prepared for flooding impacts and consider whether their journey is necessary.

“We would strongly advise people to sign up to Floodline to receive free updates for where they live, or travel through, directly to their phone. People can also check our Flood Updates for all the latest information and the three-day Scottish Flood Forecast to see what conditions are expected further ahead.