Firefighters have so far tackled over a dozen flooding incidents after heavy rainfall caused chaos in Tayside and Fife.
Broughty Ferry was one of the worst-hit with severe flooding at North Balmossie Street just before 1am on Wednesday morning.
Crews had to pump water to clear the street, which has a fire station just metres from the incident.
Queen Street also saw significant flooding when the rain hit just after midnight, though no action was taken there.
The Stannergate in Dundee was closed on Wednesday morning after the overnight storm blew off the heavy iron drain covers on the road.
Workers were on the scene early to survey the area and to close the road, which was significantly damaged.
One of the workmen confirmed that the force of the water alone had caused the drain covers, around two metres square, to be blown out of the road all the way along the Stannergate.
It has left several large holes in the road from where the covers were.
Manhole covers have also been blown off on Dens Road, Balgillo Road and Turnberry Avenue.
Dundee City Council say crews have been out attending flooding-related issues since 11pm on Tuesday and have made affected streets safe.
It coincided with the arrival in the early hours of Wednesday of the cruise ship Marella Explorer 2 — the first cruise ship to dock in Dundee since the further easing of lockdown restrictions.
Heavy rain set to continue
Trains have been suspended between Perth and Stirling after a landslip in the Auchterarder area near Gleneagles.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service were called out to 16 incidents across Dundee, Angus, and Perth and Kinross.
In Angus, drivers have been urged to be wary driving in to Balkeerie from Glamis as there is mud and some rocks on a section of the road just past the primary school.
Flooding was not as severe in Fife however. Crews did attend Kincardine where the High Street and surrounding streets saw a large amount of surface water.
Cars were seen struggling to drive through the water as the town came to a standstill.
A property on nearby Glebe Road suffered some damage with firefighters helping just after 9pm.
Serious flooding in Broughty Ferry early this morning. Scottish Fire & Rescue in attendance. pic.twitter.com/1qwOvnquYp
— Craig Millar (@Craig_C_Millar) July 28, 2021
Large pockets of surface water have been reported, including at the Tay Road Bridge, where a 30mph speed restriction was in place between midnight and 2am.
The volume of rain has affected the operation of traffic lights such as at the Dundee entrance and exit of the bridge. Traffic is being diverted down Perth Road.
Dundee Museum of Transport has closed for the day due to what it describes as “severe flooding”.
Heavy rain is forecast to continue on Wednesday throughout Scotland with the Met Office issuing an amber rain warning for northern Scotland.
Flooding can be ‘very sudden’
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) say rain and flooding will not ease up until Thursday.
David Faichney, SEPA’s duty flooding manager, said: “The heavy thundery rain experienced in parts of Scotland last night has impacted areas of Dundee, Angus, Aberdeenshire and Perthshire, as well as elsewhere across Scotland.
“It’s really hard to pinpoint exactly where the rain will be heaviest in this sort of event so it’s very important for people to be aware of the hazard and to stay safe. Flooding can happen very suddenly and is often highly localised.
“It’s important that those out and about, holidaying, engaging in activities near rivers and streams or out hillwalking are aware of the hazards and stay safe.
An AMBER #rain warning is out for the next 24 hours across northern Scotland – Stay #WeatherAware ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/GtvS152uH5
— Met Office (@metoffice) July 28, 2021
“Some rivers and streams can rise to dangerous levels very quickly, so avoid camping near water and be very mindful of conditions if considering activities such as swimming or canoeing.
Mr Faichney added: “The heaviest rain will continue throughout Wednesday in an area mainly covering Aberdeenshire, Moray, Inverness, and Easter and Wester Ross and we are likely to see further flooding issues in this area develop before things start to improve on Thursday.
“People can stay up to date with regional Flood Alerts and local Flood Warnings at
sepa.org.uk/floodupdates
.”
Half of emergency calls for flooding issues
In total, the fire service received more than 50 emergency calls overnight due to the severe weather in the north of Scotland.
Crews were mobilised to a number of flooding incidents caused by heavy rain across the region, with the central and north-east areas worst affected.
Between 6pm on Tuesday and 8am on Wednesday, the control room in Dundee received more than one hundred 999 calls — with 53 related to flooding.
This included calls to a number of homes that were flooded in Perth, Dundee, Angus, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.
Crews attended these incidents and pumped water from the affected properties.
John MacDonald, deputy assistant chief officer for the fire service, said: “This has been a challenging night where we received a high number of weather related calls.
“We have seen high numbers of flooding calls from the Perth, Dundee, Angus, Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire areas were people’s homes were affected by flood water caused by the rainfall – resulting in a significant localised response.
“Crews also attended a number of other incidents including road traffic collisions and fires across the region.
“My thanks must go to our crews and Operations Control for their outstanding work overnight in very challenging conditions, and to our partners for their continued assistance.”
Mr MacDonald added the rain was a “severe weather event” and warned the number of incidents is increasing.
He said residents should think carefully before venturing out in areas likely to be hit.
He said: “There is still an amber warning of rain in the North and North East of Scotland and I would urge people to be aware of the forecast where they are, be aware of the risks and take action to protect themselves.
“Do not under any circumstances attempt to drive through flooded areas as you may become trapped, and take steps to protect yourself and your property from floodwater where necessary.”