Heavy rainfall is set to bring the threat of flooding and widespread disruption across various parts of the UK today.
The Met Office has issued a series of weather alerts, including amber and yellow warnings for Scotland, alongside further yellow warnings covering Northern Ireland, south Wales, and south-west England.
An amber warning, valid until 6pm on Thursday, specifically targets areas within Scotland such as Clackmannanshire, Falkirk, Fife, Perth and Kinross, Stirling, the Highlands, Eilean Siar, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, and Moray. Additionally, a yellow warning for persistent rain remains in effect for most of north-east Scotland, extending until 11:59pm on Friday.
Up to 20mm is forecast to fall during Thursday across south Wales, Somerset and parts of Devon and Dorset, where a yellow warning is coming into place at 8am.
There's further rain on the way, with eastern Scotland looking to be the wettest over the coming few days. A yellow rain warning is in place here with flooding possible in places ⚠️
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 21, 2026
Some snow will occur over the higher ground too. Here's a look at how much rain may fall 👇 pic.twitter.com/CKMSUfr32q
The Met Office said rain falling on saturated ground could lead to flooding and disruption.
The warning runs until 4pm on Thursday when the forecaster said the heaviest of the rain was clearing to the north east.
A further yellow warning for Northern Ireland was in place from 10am on Thursday for the rest of the day.
Up to 40mm is predicted in some places, mainly on high ground, with 15-25mm falling widely during the day.
⚠️🌧️We’re expecting a very wet and windy next couple of days, with weather conditions to be poor through until Saturday. Due to adverse weather, @NetworkRailSCOT have imposed speed restrictions on the following routes:
— ScotRail (@ScotRail) January 21, 2026
ℹ️Perth to Inverness from 18:00 today until 09:30, Saturday… pic.twitter.com/WxJjjw59EK
The Met Office said homes and businesses are likely to face flooding in the more affected areas, with delays or cancellations to public transport, while some communities may be cut off.
Drivers have been warned to take care and the Met Office said power cuts are possible.
ScotRail has speed restrictions in place for its Perth to Inverness route until 9.30am on Saturday, and its Aberdeen to Inverness routes until 12pm on Friday.
Ferry operator CalMac has cancelled all Oban-Coll-Tiree services on Thursday and says some other services may be subject to cancellations or delays at short notice.
Restrictions were in place on the Forth Road Bridge on Thursday morning due to high winds, while drivers were advised to take caution on various crossings around Scotland.
Police Scotland have advised drivers to take care when travelling while the weather warnings are in place.
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