‘Deteriorating’ weather conditions in the north and north-east have resulted in Sepa flood warnings, a Met Office yellow warning and the cancellation of CalMac ferry services to the Western Isles.
None of the sailings between Ullapool and Stornoway, or between Mallaig and Lochboisdale on South Uist, will be going ahead today.
The company said windspeeds were reaching up to 46mph on the crossing between the mainland and Lewis and Harris, with an “extremely heavy swell”.
The Met Office has warned that the Western Isles face a full day of heavy rain, and Sepa has issued the area with a flood alert.
The environmental agency has also issued more serious flood warnings for three areas in the Highlands: Strathglass, Strath Carron and Strath Oykel.
It warned that agricultural land is at risk of flooding in each of those parts, and urged people there to remain vigilant.
The Inveroykel Bailey Bridge may be inaccessible for people in the Strath Oykel area, as the river is expected to continue to rise.
⚠️ Yellow Weather Warning issued ⚠️
Heavy rain across northeast Scotland
Wednesday 16:00 – Thursday 08:00
Latest info 👉https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs pic.twitter.com/AswRyrGVJ6
— Met Office (@metoffice) October 21, 2020
Findhorn, Nairn, Moray and Speyside have received a Sepa flood alert, at the same level as the Western Isles, with the agency saying urban areas and the transport network are particularly at risk.
Meanwhile, the Met Office issued a yellow rain warning covering Inverness and parts of the Highlands and Moray, lasting from 4pm today until 8am tomorrow morning.
The meteorological body warns the flooding of a few homes and businesses is possible, while journey times are likely to become longer.