Yellow weather warning in force as Storm Austen and Storm Boelo to batter Scotland with heavy rain and strong winds

The first of two named storms in two days has hit the UK, with Scotland set to be battered by heavy rain and strong gusts.

Storm Austen and Storm Boelo are to strike the UK from Friday into Sunday, with two yellow Met Office alerts covering central and northern Scotland in place.

The first warning for heavy rain came into force for central, southern and north-east Scotland at 6am on Friday and will run until midnight.

An area of heavy rain will develop across southern and central areas of Scotland before dawn on Friday, extending over north-east Scotland during the morning and early afternoon.

The Met Office says accumulations of 20-40mm are expected widely within the warning area through this period, with 60-80mm possible in some locations.

Forecasters are warning of a small chance that homes and businesses could be flooded, causing damage to some buildings.

Disruption is also expected to rail, road, ferry and air transport services, and some communities could become cut off by flooded roads.

Network Rail implemented speed restrictions on major routes to and from Aberdeen, between Glasgow Central and Carlisle and between Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley.

What will Storm Boelo bring this weekend?

A second yellow alert for wind will be in force between 6pm on Saturday and 9pm on Sunday as Storm Boelo sweeps across the whole of mainland Scotland, the Western Isles and Orkney Islands.

The Met Office warns very windy conditions will persist overnight and through much of Sunday before gradually easing from the south-west later.

Gusts of 55-65mph are likely widely, with some coastal or exposed areas potentially seeing gusts of 70-80mph or more.

Strong winds will be combined with spells of heavy rain, most frequent over western Scotland.

Areas affected by yellow weather warning on Friday

• Angus
• Clackmannanshire
• Dundee
• Falkirk
• Fife
• Perth and Kinross

• Stirling
• Aberdeen
• Aberdeenshire
• Moray
• East Ayrshire
• East Dunbartonshire
• East Renfrewshire
• Glasgow
• North Ayrshire
• North Lanarkshire
• Renfrewshire
• South Ayrshire
• South Lanarkshire
• West Dunbartonshire
• Dumfries and Galloway
• East Lothian
• Edinburgh
• Midlothian Council
• Scottish Borders
• West Lothian

What do the storms mean for Scotland?

Storm Boelo looks set to bring heavy bursts of rain, particularly over higher ground, with further heavy showers and rain constantly wrapping around the centre of the storm and moving west to east across the country.

The winds associated with Storm Boelo are the most concerning part.

We currently have a yellow weather warning covering the whole of Scotland from 6pm Saturday until 9pm Sunday where widely we could see gusts of 55-60mph and some higher ground areas and coastal parts seeing gusts of 80mph.

Storm Boelo will move away finally overnight Sunday into Monday, when we start to see the winds easing and dying out.