AFTER THE SIZZLE, NOW IT’S STORMS

From ban to bang – warning of flash floods and thunder

SCOTLAND is set to be battered by torrential downpours and thunderstorms just days after the country’s first water ban was enforced.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms today which could cause flash flooding.

It came as a cinema and a supermarket were damaged by heavy rain in Inverness yesterday.

While some areas will stay dry, heavy rain and thunderstorms will sweep across the country, affecting almost all of mainland Scotland.

Met Office forecasters warned that homes and businesses could be flooded quickly, with possible damage to some buildings from water, lightning strikes, hail or strong winds.

They also said flash flooding could lead to road closures and possible power cuts.

It comes after a period of high temperatures in Scotland, with

‘Hail and frequent lightning’

the mercury climbing into the high 20s over the weekend.

Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Jason Kelly said: ‘The warnings highlight the chance of some places seeing around 50mm [2in] of rain falling in a three-hour period in the North, with some areas further south possibly seeing around 30mm [1.2in] of rain in a three-hour period.

‘Hail and frequent lightning are also possible as part of these downpours and represent an additional hazard.’

Meteorologist Sean Batty said weather models were indicating that some of the wettest conditions will be around the North Highlands and Moray, adding: ‘With thunderstorms so hit and miss, it’s very tricky picking out specific areas at this lead time.

Thunderstorms obviously come with their usual warnings of flash flooding, but after such exceptionally dry and warm weather, the ground is baked hard and this means when it rains initially there’s nowhere for that water to go, so that flooding can be worse.’

Dan Stroud, a Met Office meteorologist, said: ‘We’ve had a number of days now where we’ve had clear skies and strong sunshine which has heated up the ground.

‘We’ve had high pressure dominating – now we’re having low pressure dominate, so the air is becoming more unstable. As we’ve had some very high ground temperatures, it doesn’t actually take too much for the air to become even more unstable and for thundery showers to develop quickly.’

Thunderstorms began to affect the North yesterday and caused considerable damage in Inverness, where a roof leak at a Vue cinema was so extreme it had to close.

Social media footage showed water pouring from the ceiling and pooling on the floor.

A nearby Tesco supermarket was evacuated after rain caused ceiling panels to collapse into the aisles of the store.

A Tesco spokesman said: ‘Our Inverness Inshes Extra store is temporarily closed while we assess some damage to the roof. We’re sorry for any inconvenience.’ Tesco said it hoped to reopen the store later today.

It comes after water restrictions were implemented in Scotland for the first time ever. As rivers and groundwater dwindled to critically low levels, fruit and vegetable growers were told they could not abstract water from the River Eden in Fife.

It is the first time authorities have been forced to suspend farmers’ rights to irrigate their land.

Broccoli, cauliflower and lettuce crops in the affected area are likely to fail, leading to a loss of revenue running into millions of pounds.

This could be the final straw for some struggling growers.

Yields of parsnips, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, onions and carrots will also be severely affected.

Water levels on the Eden have dropped to their lowest in more than 30 years.

Water abstraction means using boreholes, pipes or pumps to divert water from rivers, burns or underground sources, and it is an offence to do it without a licence from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Most licences

‘It is not a step we take lightly’

in the River Eden catchment have been suspended by Sepa to ‘protect the sustainability of local environments’.

David Harley, Sepa’s interim chief officer for circular economy, said: ‘Having to impose suspensions on water abstractions underlines the severity of the conditions being experienced in the East of Scotland this summer.

‘It is not a step we take lightly but the evidence is clear, and it is one we can no longer avoid’.

Mr Harley added: ‘Without action, there is a substantial risk of impacts on fish populations, natural habitats and longer-term damage to watercourses.’