Storm Babet: Hundreds of homes evacuated as Met Office extends red weather warning area

Ellen Manning, James Hockaday and Natalie Marchant
Updated ·11 min read
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Waves at Stonehaven caused by the strong waves from Storm Babet. (PA)
Waves at Stonehaven caused by the strong waves from Storm Babet. (PA)

Hundreds of residents have been told to evacuate their homes in Scotland as Storm Babet sweeps across the country.

Angus Council is evacuating the residents of more than 400 homes in the red weather warning area "for their own safety", and has set up three rest centres in the area.

Some 335 homes in Brechin, and an additional 87 homes in Tannadice and Finavon have been evacuated.

Those affected are advised to attend one of the three rest centres and bring their own sleeping bags.

Storm Babet is forecast to bring 70mph gusts and over one month's worth of rain in the worst-affected regions of the UK on Thursday.

A resident puts sandbags outside his door as he leaves his house in Brechin. (PA)
A resident puts sandbags outside his door as he leaves his house in Brechin. (PA)

A red Met Office warning said that from 6pm there was "danger to life from fast-flowing or deep floodwater" in Aberdeenshire and Angus in eastern Scotland, with extensive road closures expected.

Almost 20,000 properties at some point had lost power due to the storm, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said.

The power company said it had already restored power to 14,200 customers and is working to reconnect around 4,250 more.

The firm increased staffing levels ten-fold in order to deal with the impact, and described "extremely challenging conditions" to repair wind-related damage, especially in Aberdeenshire and Angus.

Clouds gather at Porthcawl, near Bridgend in Wales. The UK is bracing for heavy wind and rain from Storm Babet, the second named storm of the season. A rare red weather warning stating there is a
Clouds gather at Porthcawl, near Bridgend in Wales, as the UK braced for the impact of Storm Babet. (Alamy/PA)

Angus Council said schools closed at lunchtime on Thursday and would remain shut on Friday to "ensure the safety of children, young people, parents, and school staff".

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

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has had three flood warnings in place as of 6am, along with 14 flood alerts.

It is the first red warning for rain issued in the UK since Storm Dennis in February 2020.

An amber wind warning has also been issued for parts of eastern Scotland.

Sand bags sit piled against a wall in the main street in Aberfoyle in Perthshire. Aberfoyle was hit with flooding a couple of weeks ago as storm Babet will bring heavy rain to the UK this week, with extensive flooding expected in already-saturated parts of Scotland. The Met Office has upgraded a weather warning for rain in eastern Scotland to amber, as some areas could see more than a month's worth of rain in a few days. Picture date: Wednesday October 18, 2023.
Sand bags sit piled against a wall in the main street in Aberfoyle in Perthshire. Storm Babet will bring heavy rain to the UK this week. (Alamy)

Large swathes of already-saturated Scotland, Northern Ireland, and northern and eastern England also saw strong winds and heavy rain on Thursday, with yellow severe weather warnings issued through to Saturday.

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.

Amber warnings for wind and rain are in place for eastern and north eastern Scotland on Thursday and parts of eastern Scotland on Friday – with risks to life from flying debris, dangerous driving conditions, road closures and damage to buildings.

You can keep up to date with Met Office warnings here.

Satellite image shows Storm Babet approaching Europe, October 16, 2023. Photo released October 17, 2023. See SWNS story SWNAbabet. Incredible satellite imagery shows Storm Babet as UK and Ireland braces for its arrival. The view from space showed the storm on Monday (16 Oct) as it made its way steadily near Spain and Portugal, before being forecast to turn northwards towards the UK. Babet is predicted brings bands of heavy rain and strong winds from midweek, with MET Office warnings issued. The incredible God's eye view was made possible by NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS). The satellite imagery is available within three hours of observation - essentially showing the entire Earth as it looks
A satellite image shows Storm Babet approaching Europe. (SWNS)

Met Office forecaster Greg Dewhurst said: “We’re going to see prolonged heavy rain, where we could see 200 to 250 millimetres 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.

Read more: Why it's hard to know if any one flood is more 'muckle' due to climate change (Herald Scotland)

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

Forecasters previously warned of as much as 150 to 200mm of rainfall on central and eastern areas of Scotland in a few days. To put that into perspective, Scotland usually receives 168mm throughout October.

Read more: Is your house at risk of flooding? Warning for 1.5 million UK homes issued

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution has urged the public to exercise “extreme caution,” particularly along exposed cliffs, seafronts and piers.

The Met Office has issued red weather warnings as Britain braces for Storm Babet. (Met Office)
The Met Office has issued red weather warnings as Britain braces for Storm Babet. (Met Office)

On Wednesday, Storm Babet hit Ireland after sweeping in from the Atlantic, bringing with it heavy rainfall and causing extensive flooding in parts of the country.

Members of the Irish Defence Forces were deployed in the town of Midleton, Co Cork in the south of Ireland, where more than 100 properties were flooded.

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.

Yahoo breaks down what the weather will be like for each region of the UK according to the Met Office.

Scotland – Red weather warnings

  • Thursday

Heavy and prolonged rainfall across parts of Scotland. Flooding is expected in places, especially in the east, and severe gales forecast across the country. Red weather warnings are in place in Grampian and Central, Tayside & Fife, with amber warnings in place for Dumfries, Galloway, Lothian & Borders and Highlands & Eilean Siar. Yellow warnings apply to Strathclyde and Orkney & Shetland.

Heavy rain will continue across northern and eastern parts of Scotland overnight, while staying windy.

  • Friday

Parts of Scotland will experience heavy rain in morning, but become somewhat drier in the afternoon, at least in west and winds will ease a touch.

  • Saturday to Monday

The most effected regions will see heavy rain and severe gales on Saturday, but wind and rain easing in the afternoon. Lighter winds on Sunday, with rain fizzling out. Dry with sunny spells and light northwest winds Monday.

South West

  • Thursday

Bright or sunny spells and scattered heavy showers, with isolated rumbles of thunder. Feeling milder than of late, especially in any sunshine. Generally lighter winds than Wednesday but still breezy. Maximum temperature 18C.

  • Friday

Fog clearing as winds strengthen - risk of gales along coasts. Rain, sometimes heavy, across eastern counties. Showers in the far west, but largely dry for Cornwall and west Devon. Maximum temperature 17C.

  • Saturday to Monday

Mainly cloudy on Saturday with rain at times. Brighter for Sunday, but scattered showers are possible. Hazy sunshine on Monday. Winds easing and turning cooler.

Further spells of heavy rain and showers, perhaps thundery, with some brighter intervals developing in between. Rather mild with winds gradually turning lighter.

West Midlands – Amber weather warning

  • Thursday

Grey start with sunny intervals in the morning, but heavy showers develop through the afternoon. Could bring the risk of thunder at times before dying down into the evening. Maximum temperature 18C.

Overnight, any showers likely to cease early on. Light winds allow to formation of widespread fog across the region. Remaining mostly dry and feeling mild. Minimum temperature 11C.

  • Friday

Early fog clears quickly as winds increase with a band of rain sweeps in from the southeast. Remaining wet through the day but feeling cooler than previous days. Maximum temperature 14C.

  • Saturday to Monday

Rain lingers through Saturday with a risk of hill fog. Rain starts to ease and begins clearing through Sunday and into Monday but feeling colder.

A red-billed chough wings are lifted by the wind at Porthcawl, near Bridgend in Wales. The UK is bracing for heavy wind and rain from Storm Babet, the second named storm of the season. A rare red weather warning stating there is a
A red-billed chough wings are lifted by the wind at Porthcawl, near Bridgend in Wales, as Storm Babet approaches. (PA/Alamy)

East Midlands – Amber weather warning

  • Thursday

After a grey and damp start, it will soon brighten up, with a mixture of sunny spells and showers developing by the afternoon. The showers will be locally heavy and possibly thundery at times. Feeling warmer compared to Wednesday. Maximum temperature 18C.

Further heavy showers likely into evening before gradually easing. Further rain, persistent and heavy at times, likely to arrive from the south overnight. A strong easterly wind developing. Minimum temperature 10C.

  • Friday

Staying unsettled on Friday, with further rain, persistent and heavy at times, especially over eastern facing hills. A strong easterly wind, with coastal gales. Feeling cold in the wind. Maximum temperature 12C.

  • Saturday to Monday

Unsettled, with further rain or showers Saturday. Winds easing. Brighter spells on Sunday, with perhaps fewer showers and lighter winds. Drier and brighter conditions are likely on Monday. Temperatures near average.

East of England – Yellow weather warning

  • Thursday

After a grey and damp start, it will soon brighten up, with a mixture of sunny spells and showers developing by the afternoon. The showers will be locally heavy and possibly thundery at times. Feeling warmer compared to Wednesday. Maximum temperature 19C.

Further heavy showers likely into evening before gradually easing. Further rain, persistent and heavy at times, likely to arrive from the south overnight. A strong easterly wind developing. Minimum temperature 11C.

  • Friday

A wet and windy start on Friday, with coastal gales. Rain clearing northwards, with brighter skies and scattered showers developing in the afternoon, locally heavy and possibly thundery. Winds easing. Maximum temperature 17C.

  • Saturday to Monday

Unsettled, with further rain or showers Saturday. Winds easing. Brighter spells Sunday, with perhaps fewer showers and lighter winds. Drier and brighter conditions are likely on Monday. Temperatures near average.

North East – Amber weather warning

  • Thursday

Heavy rain and strong winds with coastal gales moving north and gradually clearing during the morning. Becoming brighter from the south in the afternoon, with further showers, locally heavy. Winds easing, but strengthening along windward coasts by the evening. Maximum temperature 15C.

Further showers or longer spells of rain overnight, becoming more persistent and heavy at times, especially on eastern facing hills. A strengthening easterly wind, with coastal gales. Minimum temperature 8C.

  • Friday

Staying unsettled on Friday, with further rain, persistent and heavy at times, especially over eastern facing hills. A strong easterly wind, with coastal gales. Feeling cold in the wind. Maximum temperature 11C.

  • Saturday to Monday

Unsettled, with further rain or showers and coastal gales on Saturday. Brighter spells Sunday, with perhaps fewer showers. Winds easing. Drier and brighter conditions are likely Monday, with light winds.

North West – Amber weather warning

  • Thursday

Light rain tracks northwards before cloud start to break up through the morning. Showers begin to develop in the south which can be thundery at times but feeling warmer than previous days. Maximum temperature 17C.

Heavy showers linger in the north as cloud starts to fill in from the east. The west likely to see more clearer skies as showers track northwards. A mild night. Minimum temperature 11C.

  • Friday

Winds increase through the morning as outbreaks of rain moves in from the southeast. Remaining cloudy through the day but feeling cooler than previous days. Maximum temperature 13C.

  • Saturday to Monday

Rain lingers through Saturday with a risk of hill fog. Rain starts to track northward before clearing through Sunday and into Monday but feeling colder.

London and the South East

  • Thursday

After a grey and damp start, it will soon brighten up, with a mixture of sunny spells and showers developing by the afternoon. The showers will be locally heavy and possibly thundery at times. Feeling warmer compared to Wednesday. Breezy. Maximum temperature 19C.

Further heavy showers likely into evening before gradually easing. Further rain, persistent and heavy at times, likely to arrive from the south overnight. A strong easterly wind developing. Minimum temperature 12C.

  • Friday

A wet and windy start on Friday. Rain clearing northwards, with brighter skies and scattered showers developing in the afternoon, locally heavy and possibly thundery. Winds easing. Maximum temperature 16C.

Preston, Lancashire. UK Weather. 13 Oct 2023 Rainy start to the day in Preston. Credit; MediaWorldImages/AlamyLiveNews
A spell of wet and windy weather is forecast across the UK this week. (Alamy)

  • Saturday to Monday

Unsettled, with further rain or showers Saturday. Winds easing. Brighter spells Sunday, with perhaps fewer showers and lighter winds. Drier and brighter conditions are likely on Monday. Temperatures near average.

Northern Ireland – Yellow weather warning

  • Thursday

A cloudy morning with outbreaks of rain, some heavy, but gradually becoming drier and brighter from the south through the afternoon. Brisk east to southeasterly winds over coasts at first, but easing by the afternoon. Maximum temperature 16C.

  • Friday

Mainly cloudy with further outbreaks of rain spreading from east. Perhaps some heavy rain at times, but mainly over higher ground in east with rather fresh east or southeasterly winds, Minimum temperature 10C.

  • Saturday to Monday

Patchy rain in east Saturday, but some brightness in west. Longer spells of rain overnight and on Sunday morning, but becoming drier and brighter in afternoon. Bright with scattered showers on Monday.

Wales – Amber weather warning

  • Thursday

Hill fog and drizzle clearing to sunny spells with scattered heavy showers, perhaps thundery. Feeling milder than of late, especially in any sunshine. Generally lighter winds than Wednesday but still breezy. Maximum temperature 18C.

Showers easing to allow a largely dry night with winds falling light. Areas of fog developing overnight, turning murky in the east. Clearer spells holding on in the west. Mild. Minimum temperature 10C.

  • Friday

Fog slowly lifting during the day but remaining mainly cloudy. Rain pushing into the southeast, with showers further west. Winds strengthening into the afternoon. Maximum temperature 17C.

  • Saturday to Monday

Mainly cloudy on Saturday with rain at times. Brighter for Sunday, but scattered showers are possible. Hazy sunshine on Monday. Winds easing and turning cooler.