Scotland faces more than three inches of rain in 48 hours with dozens of flooded properties evacuated and motorists rescued from cars.
Parts of Britain could be hit by 55mph winds after lightning strikes, as play had to be suspended at The Open golf tournament due to the downpours.
There were more than 20 flood alerts or warnings in place for Scotland, while the Met Office imposed a severe weather warning until tomorrow.
Meanwhile motorists should prepare for queues tonight as 2.6million holidaymakers begin their summer break on what has been billed 'Black Friday'.
Firefighters said they helped evacuate people from 70 flooded properties on one street in Alyth, Perthshire, and 20 properties on another road.
Several people stranded in their vehicles by floodwater were also rescued, while five properties in nearby Bankfoot were evacuated due to flooding.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has issued five flood alerts and 17 more serious flood warnings for the region.
And the Environment Agency put out a flood warning for Stevenage Brook in Hertfordshire, to declare that 'immediate action' is required.
At St Andrews in Fife, organisers suspended proceedings about ten minutes after the first players teed off at 6.32am as conditions worsened
Greens, fairways and bunkers were flooded and an army of greenkeepers set to work on clearing the standing water, with play resuming at 10am.
A total of half an inch of rain fell at Leuchars near St Andrews between 6pm yesterday and 6am today.
The downpour saw a torrent of water gushing down Golf Place, the road leading to the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) clubhouse.
R&A chief executive Peter Dawson told the BBC: ‘It has been a very tough morning. It started raining just before 5am and we've had 20mm since then.
‘The worst rain has passed. This a very sandy golf course and once it starts to drain you will find it dries very quickly.’
Top US golfer Jordan Spieth said he was expecting tough conditions, adding: ‘It's definitely going to be a brutal day.
‘We just don't know when the rain is going to start, when it's going to stop, if it's going to come back.
‘I think it will be a true Scottish day that we all should enjoy the challenge ahead.’
And Gemma Plumb, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, said: ‘Today will also be quite windy so that will have an impact on the golf.’
In Cambridge, Addenbrooke's Hospital was forced to cancel some operations today after a basement was flooded in overnight storms.
The waters affected areas in the hospital where theatre equipment is sterilised and some routine non-emergency operations were postponed.
Tomorrow, the northern half of Scotland will be generally cloudy and unsettled with rain, with a chance that this will be heavy with thunder.
Sunny spells are expected elsewhere across the UK on what will be a breezy day - but with scattered showers, these mostly in western areas.
Sunday is expected to be an unsettled day with the risk of heavy rain in many places, although staying largely dry in the South East.
On Monday, the South will be cloudy with some outbreaks of rain - and while sunny intervals are expected further north, there will also be showers.
Colin Grieve, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service local senior officer for Perth and Kinross, Dundee and Angus, told of a ‘busy morning’ for firefighters.
He said: ‘Our crews are doing some excellent work and have had an extremely busy morning due to the high number of flooding incidents.
‘I would also like to pay tribute to our control staff who have done a fantastic job during what has been an incredibly busy day so far.
No comments:
Post a Comment