Hurricane Ernesto’s remnants to drench Highlands, warns Met Office after issuing yellow alert - with heavy rain and gales forecast amid high spring tides
The remains of Hurricane Ernesto are set to bring a deluge of rain and strong winds to parts of the Highlands later this week, the Met Office has warned.
It has issued a yellow weather warning for Wednesday and Thursday when the storm, which has already weakened to a tropical storm and will weaken further, is expected to make its presence felt in the UK.
However, it will still bring heavy rain and strong winds. Up to 150mm of rain is possible on some hills, and wind guests of up to 60mph are being predicted on coasts and islands.
The warning comes into force at 9am on Wednesday and will remain in place until 6pm on Thursday.
The alert covers the Inner and Outer Hebrides and much of western and central Scotland.
In the Highlands the alert extends from Sandwood Bay in the far north, down through the rest western Sutherland, Wester and Mid Ross, the Great Glen, Lochaber, Argyll, and as far south as Brodick on Arran. It also extends east as far as Aviemore, and covers most of the A9 south of Inverness as far as Pitlochry.
A Met Office spokesperson said: “A band of rain is expected to move in from the southwest on Wednesday morning, becoming slow moving with heavy bursts of rain at times, especially over the hills.
“Seventy-five to 100 mm is expected over the course of Wednesday and Thursday for some places, with the main bulk of the rain falling within a 24 hour period, with as much as 150 mm possible over some hills.
“The rain will be accompanied by strong southwesterly winds, with gusts perhaps reaching 50-60 mph on the coast and around the islands.
“With spring tides expected, this could also lead to some potentially dangerous conditions on the coast, with spray and wave overtopping. Peak winds are expected during Wednesday evening. Winds will ease through Thursday, along with a gradual clearance of the rain by the end of the day.”
