Edinburgh Weather: Lothians to get torrential rain

The Met Office has issued a severe weather warning. Picture: Jon Savage

AFTER the driest September on record forecasters warned today that much of Scotland will be hit by torrential downpours and strong winds which could cause flooding.

The Met Office has issued the first severe weather warning for Scotland for a month.

The yellow – “be aware” alert – covers the Central Belt, southern Scotland, the extreme north-west including Skye and the Western Isles, and Orkney and Shetland, from 3pm today to 9am on Saturday.

Parts of the country are also expected to be battered by severe gales, with gusts of up to 70mph.

The Met Office said the weather change would bring an end to prolonged fine conditions which led to Scotland enjoying its driest September on record.

A spokesman said: “It will be a marked switch, with spells of heavy rain and stronger winds.

“The public should be aware of the potential for some localised impacts to travel due to surface water flooding.

“A slow-moving active cold front will be reinforced as a shallow wave runs north-eastwards overnight Friday into Saturday. This will lead to some heavy and persistent rainfall”