Scotland's west coast on flood alert with 60-hour weather warning for heavy rain issued

Scotland’s west coast is on flood alert with a 60-hour drenching of heavy rain forecast for the coming days.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for rain in the west coast of Scotland from midnight on Wednesday to midday on Saturday.

Forecasters anticipate as much as 150mm of rain to land on higher ground during the lengthy period of rainfall.

And the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has urged Scots in five areas to be on alert for potential flooding over next couple of days.

Five flood alerts have been issued across the west coast of Scotland (SEPA)

Flood alerts have been issued for Argyll and Bute, Ayrshire and Arran, Central, Skye and Lochaber and West Central Scotland.

Officials say the heavy rainfall could cause localised flooding from rivers and small watercourses in areas of low lying land.

Scots have also been urged to be vigilant and take extra care when travelling around the impacted areas.

A flood alert for SEPA read: “Periods of heavy and often persistent rain will affect these areas from Wednesday evening through to Saturday.

A band of heavy rain is expected to sweep in from the west later this evening (Getty Images)

“The period of heaviest rainfall is expected to be from Thursday afternoon and through Friday.

“This is expected to cause localised flooding from rivers and small watercourses, particularly of low lying land and roads.

“Surface water is also expected to cause disruption to local travel, particularly in known trouble spots. There could be difficult driving conditions and longer journey times.

“Remain vigilant and remember, it is your responsibility to take actions which help protect yourself and your property.”

Weather conditions have taken a turn for the worse since we moved into October - with heavy rainfall and high winds dominating the forecast over the opening days of the month.

And forecasters expect winter to arrive in Scotland earlier than usual this year, with temperatures expected to plummet in the middle of this month.

The Met Office said that parts of the country could even see snow flurries towards the end of the month.

Greg Dewhurst, senior meteorologist at the weather agency, said: “We’re likely to see some snowy weather in higher parts as October moves into November.

“Likely areas to be affected are the Scottish mountains as well as higher ground in northern England and northern Wales.

“Low areas are unlikely to see any. It’s quite normal for this time of year.”