The orange rain warning covered Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Angus and Perth and Kinross until 3pm on Friday and warned that some fast-flowing or deep flooding was likely to cause life-threatening flooding. A yellow warning was in place for much of eastern Scotland until 6pm on Friday. Authorities said the rain would make driving difficult, with reduced visibility and surface water possible, and the conditions were likely to affect travel on the road and rail networks. In Angus, all schools in Brechin, Montrose and Kirriemuir were closed due to localized flooding, as well as more than a dozen others. On Friday morning, one lane of the M9 westbound was closed at junction 2, the A92 was closed between the Parbroath junction and Melville Lodges in Fife and the Halbeath Road in Dunfermline was closed with diversions in place, all due to flooding. Regional flood warnings were in place from the eastern border to Aberdeenshire, and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said Aberdeenshire and Angus could be particularly affected. There were 20 flood warnings and nine flood warnings on Friday morning. People living in areas with flood warnings were told to plan ahead for any travel and stay safe. Scottish Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth said: “The Met Office is warning us to expect a period of severe weather across parts of eastern Scotland throughout Friday, with heavy rain likely to affect travel in the orange warning area in the north-east. “The conditions could potentially cause disruption to the transport network, so it is important that people plan their journeys before they set off, especially if they want to use trunk roads or travel by rail.” Forecasters said some areas of higher ground in the orange warning area could get a month’s worth of rain in some days, with more than 100mm of rain and even 150mm possible in parts of the Grampians and Cairngorms. The average rainfall for November in Aberdeenshire is 113 mm, while in Angus it is 122.8 mm. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. ScotRail has imposed speed restrictions on lines in the east of Scotland until midday. Network Rail Scotland said journeys would take longer on the east coast main line between Edinburgh and the Borders, as well as between Aberdeen, Inverness and the central belt, due to “exceptionally high rainfall”. Ch Supt Louise Blakelock, head of road policing, said: “As an orange warning has been issued for heavy rain, we urge motorists to plan ahead and avoid unnecessary journeys. The Met Office, Sepa and Traffic Scotland websites have valuable information about weather disruptions and we would advise people to check these websites before starting your journey. “If you must drive, make sure you and your vehicle are properly prepared by having sufficient fuel, waterproofs, warm clothing, food and water in case you are delayed and be aware of increased stopping distances when braking.”
