Month's worth of rain to fall within hours amid Met Office thunderstorm warning

Large areas of Scotland could see a month’s worth of rainfall within hours amid a Met Office thunderstorm warning.

The yellow alert came into place at midnight on Sunday and expires at 11.59pm on Monday as heavy rain and lightning is expected to hit much of the country.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued ten flood alerts.

In the weather alert, the Met Office warned of possible flooding and power cuts.

Along with heavy rain and thunderstorms, some public transport could also be disrupted or cancelled.

STV meteorologist Sean Batty said that the worst affected areas could see 30-40mm of rainfall in less than an hour, which is the equivalent of about half a month’s worth of rain.

The worst affected area extends from the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway in the south to Orkney in the north.

Areas such as Edinburgh, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Dundee, Angus, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray could see a month’s worth of rain within a few hours, with around 60-80mm of rainfall expected.

Insight Sean Batty STV meteorologist

A plume of humid air has drifted north out of the continent which runs up the east coast of Scotland today and into the Northern Isles.

This will give the atmosphere a little more energy with some thunderstorms likely to develop. The warmer plume of air also brings more moisture and therefore the risk of some torrential downpours.

The warning areas extends from the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway in the south and to Orkney in the north. In this area 30-40mm of rain could fall in less than an hour – which is the equivalent of about half a month’s worth of rain.

There is scope for worse conditions with even heavier and more prolonged downpours which will bring a much higher risk of flooding.

The main focus for this currently looks to be over Edinburgh, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Dundee, Angus, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray. In these areas, there is a possibility of a month’s worth of rain in just a few hours – around 60-80mm.

We also have the first signs of leaf fall from some trees which at this time of year adds to the risk of flooding due to the blocking of drains in some streets.