Snow thaw and flood risk

25 January 2013

David Faichney, Hydrology Duty Manager for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), said:

"In partnership with the Met Office, SEPA will continue to issue announcements to local authorities and emergency responders through the Scottish Flood Forecasting Service over the weekend in preparation for the predicted inclement weather.  

"The snow experienced across much of Scotland today will ease by the early hours of Saturday morning, when milder conditions are expected for most of the day. Saturday evening will however see more heavy rain arriving to southern parts of Scotland overnight into Sunday.

"The arrival of milder temperatures will lead to a thaw of low lying snow in many places, which will result in a rise in river levels across the country. No significant flooding is expected from larger rivers however some localised flooding may occur from surface water and smaller watercourse in Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders area where the thaw is expected to be greatest and the rainfall heaviest.

"The north and east of Scotland are forecast to experience a gentler thaw and less rainfall than the South and West of the country during this period with the risk of flooding in these areas very low.

"SEPA will continue to monitoring rainfall and river levels closely over the next few days and would encourage the public to check the SEPA website for active flood alerts or call SEPA's Floodline on 0845 988 1188, for the most up to date information on their area."

Ends