Storm Babet news LIVE: Met Office EXPANDS red weather warning as floods spark chaos with entire Scottish town evacuated

People in more than 350 homes in Brechin, Angus, have been ordered to evacuate over concerns that Storm Babet could flood the town.

Here, photographs taken earlier today show local resident Christopher McGuire placing sandbags at houses on River Street the town ahead of the red warning beginning at 6pm today:

Jesmond Park Academy in Newcastle-upon-Tyne has been forced to close after high winds from Storm Babet caused ‘extensive damage’ to the building’s roof:

Further along the south coast at Swanage in Dorset today, Environment Agency workers have been repairing concrete wave barriers – and shingle and seaweed washed up on the seafront road overnight:

Despite the wet and windy conditions today, walkers have been braving the weather along the south coast at Southsea in Hampshire:

Workers have been seen clearing a drainage ditch ahead of Storm Babet in the Scottish village of Edzell, which is within the red warning area in Angus:

Take a look at this extraordinary video posted by Angus Gillies on X of huge waves at Captain Oil Field in the North Sea:

Aluminium sheeting is said to have come off a building at Carnoustie Golf Links in Angus, with the building evacuated and people told to avoid the area:

Rail passengers heading north from Newcastle are facing major disruption this afternoon after a domestic power cable fell onto the railway’s overhead lines:

Angus Council is now ordering residents at 360 homes in Brechin, Angus, to evacuate their homes now ahead of the red weather warning.

Crisis talks have been held by the Scottish Government, chaired by Deputy First Minister Shona Robison, and drivers have been urged not to use the roads especially in Angus and South Aberdeenshire.

Ms Robison said: ‘Red warnings are rarely issued and this reflects how serious the impacts will be from exceptional weather. If you are in parts of Angus and South Aberdeenshire affected, stay at home.

‘Other parts of Scotland are also at risk as rivers respond and drainage systems become overwhelmed, exacerbated by many catchments already saturated following last week’s heavy rainfall and flooding.’

The Met Office has release this map showing how rain is becoming heavy and persistent across central and eastern Scotland this afternoon:

Highland Council has announced that all its bus services will be suspended from now until further notice due to Storm Babet:

Weather warnings for Storm Babet are currently active and are due to run until the end of Saturday – with much of the UK experiencing heavy rain and strong winds.

Looking ahead, Met Office expert meteorologist Christoph Almond said: ‘Sunday looks like a quieter day for many, although there will still be some showers around.

‘However, in lighter winds and with temperatures above average, it could feel comparatively pleasant for a short time.

‘However, on Monday, more heavy rain and showers look like spreading in from the southwest, and that sets the scene for the coming week. While most places will see rain or showers at some point – southern areas could bear the brunt of these.’

Scottish Water has warned of the risk of sewer flooding as Storm Babet hits Scotland and said staff are on standby.

The organisation said sewer flooding reports are expected to increase as drainage systems become overwhelmed by the extreme rainfall.

John Griffen, Scottish Water’s water operations general manager said: ‘We have activated contingency plans including increasing the numbers of staff and contractors on standby to support customers experiencing sewer flooding, and protect our critical infrastructure across water and waste water services.’

Here are some more dramatic pictures taken this morning of huge waves hitting South Shields Pier and Lighthouse in the North East:

The East Coast Main Line has been closed by Network Rail at East Linton, south of Edinburgh, with officials saying a ‘power transmission line above the railway has fallen onto the tracks’.

This will affect passengers using LNER, ScotRail, CrossCountry, TransPennine Express and Lumo trains.

The Met Office has also issued a new weather warning for showers or longer spells of rain across Northern Ireland from 3am tomorrow until 9am on Saturday:

More videos are emerging of severe flooding that has hit the Republic of Ireland – including these from Tallow in County Waterford and Midleton in County Cork:

Martin Christmas, the Environment Agency’s operations manager for West Yorkshire, has filmed a video explainig how workers are preparing for the heavy rain:

The Met Office has just updated its red weather warning for rain, which will now cover a wider area of Scotland, bringing ‘exceptionally heavy and persistent rain’:

The Met Office is currently updating its weather warnings by resizing and retiming them – and London is no longer covered by a rain or wind warning this week.

We’ll bring you an updated list later on once they have finished the changes.

A new amber warning for rain has been issued for parts of northern England, the Midlands and Wales as Storm Babet batters the UK.

The warning is in place from noon tomorrow to 6am on Saturday due to persistent heavy rain. Homes and businesses are likely to be flooded and some communities could be cut off by flooded roads.

Between 40mm and 60mm of rain is likely, with the potential for between 80mm and 120mm on higher ground, the Met Office said. Here is a map showing the impact:

People cross a flood defence barrier erected on Church Street in the village of Edzell in Angus this morning, which will be within the red warning area later on:

The Met Office has just announced that the amber warning for rain has now been extended to parts of northern and central England as well as North Wales.

The warning, which previously just covered parts of Scotland, will be active from 12pm tomorrow until 6am on Saturday.

A flood barrier has also been installed on Queens Bridge in Peth as heavy rain and strong winds begin to hit the city which is covered by an amber weather warning:

Floodgates at Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire have been closed ahead of Storm Babet hitting the area, which is one of those affected by the red warning from 6pm today:

Network Rail Scotland has revealed a huge oak tree has been broken by the wind, near the Tay Bridge at the A92. The railway in this area is closed today:

The yellow warning for rain in Scotland has now been extended to run from 6am tomorrow until 11.59pm on Saturday.

This will cover the Grampian; Highlands & Eilean Siar; and Dumfries, Galloway, Lothian & Borders regions.

This means that under the weather warnings, Storm Babet is due to last for a total of nearly 82 hours – from 2pm yesterday until 11.59pm on Saturday.

The Met Office has just updated its weather warnings to state that Storm Babet will now cause impacts until 11.59pm on Saturday.

Previously, the warnings were due to finish at 12pm on Saturday.

Clouds gather at Porthcawl near Bridgend in Wales this morning as the UK braces for heavy wind and rain from Storm Babet:

University of Aberdeen lecturer Andrew Whitehouse has posted this video of the storm arriving in the Granite City this morning ahead of conditions deteriorating:

Stagecoach has warned bus passengers of disruption in eastern Scotland today.

It said the X7 route from Aberdeen to Perth will be impacted by the closure of Lower Northwater Bridge in Aberdeenshire, with services diverted from Montrose to Marykirk, A90 and B967. St Cyrus and Johnshaven will not be served:

The most rain recorded in the British Isles over the past 48 hours has been at Roche’s Point in Cork which saw 93mm (3.7in), 74mm (2.9in) of which was in the past 24 hours.

Dan Harris, deputy chief meteorologist at the Met Office, has the details:

The severe weather brought by Storm Babet will likely lead many people to stay at home, but it couldn’t dampen the spirits of students in Nottingham last night.

They were seen going out in fancy dress despite the cold and rain – and plastic bags became the unexpected fashion accessory of the night, with several revellers opting to wear them on their heads to shield themselves from the elements:

The Royal Family’s Balmoral castle and estate has been closed to the public today and tomorrow due to the weather in Aberdeenshire:

All facilities at Cairngorm Mountain have been closed today due to the storm:

We reported yesterday on a watersports business based in Torquay, Devon, which was decimated after being swept away by Storm Babet.

Two shipping containers belonging to Soak Lifestyle – one which was full of paddleboards – were claimed by the sea. Here is a video of the damage:

We’ve already brought you pictures of huge waves crashing into Seaham in County Durham this morning. Now, watch a dramatic video filmed at the same location:

In politics today, the Tories are braced for a battering as voters head for the polls in two crucial by-elections in Mid Bedfordshire and Tamworth.

The areas are expected to be spared the worst effects of Storm Babet, but conditions are still likely to be grim – raising the possibility that turnout could be supressed.

Read the full story from MailOnline’s political editor James Tapsfield:

Aberdeen FC has confirmed its club shop and ticket office will be closed today due to the storm:

Storm Babet is set to batter Britain today after the Met Office issued an extremely rare ‘danger to life’ warning with 70mph gale force winds and over a month’s worth of rain expected. Here is the full story on MailOnline:

North Tyneside Council has warned people to avoid coastal areas, with the severe weather likely to cause sea spray and overtopping waves:

Huge waves crash onto South Shields Pier in the North East this morning at sunrise:

Waves are starting to build at Walcott on the Norfolk coast this morning as they reach the base of the sea wall, as shown in this video:

Storm Babet is bringing strong winds to Britain, with this boat seen rocking on the River Tyne this morning:

Storm Babet was a name selected by the Dutch weather agency KMNI.

KMNI told MailOnline that it had asked visitors at an open day in October last year for suggestions for storm names. A visitor called Babet entered her own name, saying it was ‘because I was born during a storm’.

There have been two separate incidents causing delays on the M25 around London this morning – one near Clacton Lane Services and the other near Waltham Abbey. It is not yet clear whether the storm has had an impact on either incident.

These are the latest Met Office weather warning maps – with a mixture of yellow, amber and red alerts in place across Britain from today until Saturday.

Heavy rain and wind is hitting Perth in Scotland today, which is one of the areas covered by an amber weather warning as Storm Babet hits:

East Midlands Railway (EMR) says a tree has blocked the railway between Barton-On-Humber and Grimsby Town stations in Lincolnshire. Buses are set to run:

Commuters crossing London Bridge this morning are also enduring wet and windy conditions as Storm Babet has an impact on the weather across the UK:

Laura Tobin, the weather presenter on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, has pointed out that parts of Scotland could see one third of their annual rainfall in one day today:

While the rain warning for London does not come into place until 6am tomorrow, conditions were blustery this morning – with windswept commuters seen crossing Waterloo Bridge today:

Angus Council has announced all schools and early years centres will close at lunchtime today due to Storm Babet. Schools will remain closed tomorrow.

In addition, these schools will be shut all day today:

Colliston Primary School
Cortachy Primary School
Isla Primary School
Stracathro Primary School
Strathmartine Primary School
Tealing Primary School

Aberdeenshire Council has also revealed these schools will be closed today:

Bervie School
Bervie School
Crombie School
Kellands School
Meldrum School
Mill O’ Forest School
Newtonhill School
Uryside School

A commuter’s umbrella was completely obliterated by the strong winds on Waterloo Bridge in London this morning as Storm Babet sweeps in:

Flooding has been reported in Midleton, Whitegate, Rathcormac, Glandore, Ringaskiddy, Carrigaline, Raffeen, Halfway and Casteltownbere in County Cork.

In County Waterford, there was flooding in Dungarvan, Tallow and Clashmore.

A major clean-up operation is under way in Counties Cork and Waterford today after flooding swamped several towns and villages in Ireland during Storm Babet.

Some areas are still underwater this morning, with members of the Irish Defence Forces deployed as part of the response to the floods.

The army and civil defence units supported evacuation measures in the town of Midleton in Co Cork, where more than 100 properties were flooded. Businesses, including a supermarket, were damaged by the rapidly rising water levels.

While the floods have since receded, almost 500 electricity customers in Midleton remained without power this morning, with network engineers from ESB working to restore supply. Here are some pictures of the flooding in the town:

National Rail has just revealed that ‘slippery rails’ between Renton and Alexandria in Scotland mean trains currently cannot run between Dalreoch and Balloch:

Here is the Scottish Daily Mail’s coverage of Storm Babet on page two of today’s newspaper, which warns that thousands of Scots face a ‘risk to life’:

The south coast of England has also experienced severe weather over the past 24 hours, with big waves crashing into Mudeford Quay in Dorset today:

This stunning photograph shows Storm Babet battering the North East coast of England this morning as huge waves strike Seaham lighthouse in County Durham:

The Met Office has activated a rare red warning for rain in eastern Scotland.

Such a warning is issued when dangerous weather is forecast and it is ‘very likely there will be a risk to life’. People are told to avoid travelling where possible.

The last red warning anywhere in the UK for rain was in February 2022 for Storm Eunice, which was the most damaging storm to hit England and Wales since 2014.

But today’s is the first red warning for rain in Scotland since Storm Desmond in 2015, when more than 100 homes were evacuated in Hawick, Roxburghshire.

Other red warnings were issued for Storm Arwen on north-eastern coasts in November 2021 and Storm Dennis in South Wales in February 2020.

There was also a red warning for extreme heat last year when a heatwave saw temperatures reach unprecedented levels, passing 40C for the first time on July 19.

Storm Babet was named by the Met Office on Monday and is the second named storm of the season.

The first storm to be given a name was Abigail back in 2015. Click below for MailOnline’s explainer on everything you need to know about Britain’s storm titles:

The Met Office lists the hazards of a red warning as ‘danger to life from fast flowing or deep floodwater’, ‘extensive flooding to homes and businesses’, ‘collapsed or damaged buildings’ and ‘road closures and bus and train service delays and cancellations’.

Here is the full list of what it says people should expect:

Danger to life from fast flowing or deep floodwater
Extensive flooding to homes and businesses
Collapsed or damaged buildings or structures
Road closures and bus and train service delays and cancellations
Dangerous driving conditions because of spray and flooded roads
Loss of power and other essential services, such as gas, water and mobile phone service
Communities completely cut off, perhaps for several days

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has warned of ‘unprecedented levels of rain’ due to Storm Babet – with up to 10in (250mm) set to fall.

It has six flood warnings in place as of 8am today, along with 14 flood alerts:

Angus Council said schools will close at lunchtime today and remain shut tomorrow to ‘ensure the safety of children, young people, parents, and school staff’.

Here is a video statement from the council’s Facebook page, issued yesterday:

Flooded is also beginnning to have an impact on country lanes in Oxfordshire today, as this photograph in Dunsden taken by Geoffrey Swaine this morning shows:

These Met Office maps show just how much rain could fall in the wettest parts of eastern Scotland over the next few days:

Liam Quaide, independent councillor for East Cork, said the scenes of flooding on Mill Street and Main Street in the town of Midleton were ‘apocalyptic’.

Mr Quaide said: ‘My wife and I were bringing our daughter home from Cork University Hospital today and we got stranded for several hours with many other local residents on the outskirts of town as both roads home were off limits. We tried a couple of perilous detours and had to turn back.

‘The scenes of devastation in Midleton today were an ominous sign of what is ahead of us as a nation if we don’t double down on climate mitigation and adaptation.

‘I’d like to commend the heroic work of Cork County Council staff, the Fire Service and Civil Defence Forces who worked around the clock evacuating and providing assistance to many people in distress.’

Cork County Council said more than a month’s worth of rain had fallen in the space of 24 hours, leading to unprecedented flooding, saturated land and high river levels.

This video shows a supermarket damaged by severe flooding in Midleton:

The Met Office has warned of ‘very strong easterly winds’ in Scotland this morning with damaging gusts and persistent heavy rain due to Storm Babet:

Drivers are being urged to take extra care on roads in Northern Ireland today – the first area of the UK to come under a weather warning for Storm Babet, which began at 2pm yesterday:

Over in the Republic of Ireland, members of the Irish Defence Forces have been deployed to a town in the south of the country to deal with extensive flooding due to Storm Babet.

The army and civil defence units supported evacuation measures in the town of Midleton, Co Cork, where more than 100 properties were flooded.

A number of businesses, including a prominent supermarket, were damaged by severe flooding.

Cork County Council said more than a month’s worth of rain had fallen in the space of 24 hours, leading to unprecedented flooding, saturated land and high river levels across the county.

The stormy weather could lead to some bumpy landings for those taking flights today, with aviation enthusiast Simon Lowe currently at Manchester Airport watching the planes come in and broadcasting it live on YouTube:

The Met Office has issued these colourful maps showing which areas will see the most rain and wind over the next few days as Storm Babet sweeps into Britain:

National Rail has also warned Storm Babet is ‘likely to impact Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink services’ until the end of tomorrow.

It said the severe weather is ‘expected to make contact with a large part of the Gatwick Express, Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink network’.

Routes in more exposed coastal locations are most likely to be impacted.

Storm Babet is having a major impact on CrossCountry, which runs trains between Aberdeen and Penzance. Severe weather between Exeter St Davids and Paignton / Plymouth means CrossCountry service will not run between these stations.

The operator has listed the following service amendments for today:

06:10 Derby – Plymouth terminates at Exeter St Davids at 09:45
06:12 Leeds – Plymouth terminates at Bristol Temple Meads at 09:35
06:20 Plymouth – Edinburgh will start from Bristol TM at 08:35
06:28 Penzance – Edinburgh will start from Bristol TM 10.35
06:40 Bristol TM – Plymouth terminates at Exeter St Davids at 07:37
07:27 Plymouth – Edinburgh will start from Exeter St Davids 08:27
08:03 Manchester Piccadilly – Paignton will terminate at Bristol TM at 11:00
08:12 Bristol TM – Paignton will not run
08:37 Penzance – Edinburgh will start from Bristol TM 12:35
09.27 Plymouth – Edinburgh will start from Exeter St Davids at 10:27
10:14 Paignton – Manchester Piccadilly will start from Bristol TM at 12:00
13:00 Bristol TM – Manchester Pic will start from Birmingham NS at 14:30
14:03 Manchester Piccadilly – Paignton terminates at Bristol TM
14:38 Paignton – Manchester Piccadilly will start from Bristol TM at 17:00
20:19 Paignton – Manchester Piccadilly will start from Exeter St D at 20:56

There will be four additional services running as follows today:

08:02 Newton Abbot – Plymouth
10:09 Newton Abbot – Plymouth
07:27 Plymouth – Newton Abbot
09:27 Plymouth – Newton Abbot

Laura Tobin has just given an update on Storm Babet on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, explaining the amount of rainfall on the way and the flooding risk:

Caledonian Sleeper services tonight between Aberdeen, Fort William, Inverness and London Euston – in both directions – have been cancelled. Services between Glasgow, Edinburgh and Euston are expected to be running as scheduled.

Tomorrow night’s services between Aberdeen / Fort William / Inverness and London Euston (in both directions) are being ‘monitored’, with the operator warning: ‘There is currently a high probability that they will be cancelled.’ Services between Glasgow, Edinburgh and Euston are expected to be running as scheduled tomorrow night.

Here is a full list of services suspended in Scotland today due to Storm Babet:

Edinburgh – Inverness
Edinburgh – Aberdeen via Fife
Edinburgh – Perth
Edinburgh – Glenrothes with Thornton / Cowdenbeath
Glasgow Queen Street – Inverness
Glasgow Queen Street – Aberdeen
Glasgow Queen Street and Perth / Dundee
Dundee – Arbroath
Montrose – Aberdeen / Dyce / Inverurie
Stonehaven / Aberdeen – Inverness
Aberdeen – Huntly
Inverness – Wick

Mass train cancellations have been imposed by ScotRail, expected to last from today until Saturday.

Trains are suspended in North and North East Scotland while the South and West will be hit by delays today.

Services have been suspended between Aberdeen and Elgin; Edinburgh and Aberdeen via Fife; and Perth and Aberdeen via Dundee.

Trains between Dunblane and Perth will be put on hold; as well as Perth and Aviemore; and Tain and Wick / Thurso; and all Fife Circle services will be suspended, impacting services between Glasgow Queen Street and Aberdeen / Inverness; and between Edinburgh Waverley and Aberdeen / Inverness.

Up to a foot of rain could be dumped on Scotland in just 24 hours with the potential to cause life-threatening floods and strong winds as Storm Babet inches up Britain.

A near-record amount of precipitation is predicted to fall on areas of Perthshire and Aberdeenshire today and tomorrow as the low pressure system crawls its way north.

Read the full story on MailOnline by clicking below:

Here are all of the Met Office weather warnings now in place for Storm Babet:

Now until 10am today: Yellow rain warning for all of Northern Ireland
Now until 12pm tomorrow: Yellow wind warning for northern Scotland
Now until 6am Saturday: Yellow rain warning for most of Scotland
10am today until 6pm today: Amber wind warning for eastern Scotland
6pm today until 6am Saturday: Yellow rain warning for northern England
6pm today until 9am tomorrow: Amber rain warning for North East Scotland
6pm today until 12pm tomorrow: Red rain warning for eastern Scotland
6am tomorrow until 8pm tomorrow: Yellow rain warning for South East
12pm tomorrow until 12pm Saturday: Yellow wind warning for eastern Britain

This Met Office map shows how heavy rain and strong winds are affecting Northern Ireland, southern Scotland and northern England this morning:

Here is a map from the Met Office showing where the red warning is in place today:

Away from North East Scotland where a red warning is in place, other large swathes of the rest of the country will also see strong winds and heavy rain today.

Yellow severe weather warnings have been issued until Saturday, covering already-saturated parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland, and northern and eastern England.

Storm Babet, a complex area of low pressure which developed to the west of the Iberian peninsula, was named by the Met Office on Monday morning.

Here is a picture of huge waves hitting Teignmouth in Devon yesterday:

The Met Office has warned of ‘extremely dangerous weather’ on the way today.

Forecaster Greg Dewhurst said: ‘We’re going to see prolonged heavy rain, where we could see 200mm (8in) to 250mm (10in) of rain falling within a day which is well over a month’s worth of rainfall for eastern parts of Scotland.

‘We’re likely to see flooding, power disruption, travel disruption, there is a risk to life as well.

‘There’s also an amber wind warning out for eastern parts of Scotland, where we could see gusts of 60mph to 70mph, just adding to the extremely dangerous weather coming for parts of Scotland.’

Good morning and welcome to MailOnline’s liveblog as the UK braces for impact from Storm Babet.

A rare red weather warning is in place amid concerns over prolonged heavy rain with up to 10in (250mm) set to fall and the country facing 70mph gusts.

Follow MailOnline’s liveblog throughout today for all the latest updates.