Scotland faces more stormy weather today with torrential rain on already saturated ground likely to aggravate problems in the south and west.

Localised flooding hit Dumfries and Galloway yesterday afternoon, with emergency services called in to rescue drivers trapped in their cars, and the situation is expected to deteriorate today as the deluge continues.

Winds of up to 60mph battered the south-west of the country, with further gales predicted for today, and forecasters warned some up-lying areas could see a month’s rainfall in just 36 hours.

Parts of Cumbria, in England, saw nearly seven inches of rain yesterday alone, according to the Met Office. A further 5.9 inches is likely in the Lake District today, and hundreds of nearby homes have already been evacuated.

Flood warnings were in place last night for 20 different areas across Scotland, with six of them graded “severe” by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Residents near to the Ettrick, Tweed, Earn and Teviot rivers were advised to exercise caution and be prepared to act if conditions worsen.

Flooding in the River Kelvin was reported at Kirkintilloch yesterday afternoon, with the swell in the water levels moving to the Glasgow boundary by early evening. Householders in low-lying areas around the Kelvin were warned to monitor the situation today.

The Water of Leith in Edinburgh was also subject to a flood warning, with general alerts posted for all rivers in the Firth of Clyde and Edinburgh and Lothians areas.

The worst-affected area in Scotland was Dumfries and Galloway, where there were numerous road closures and council reports of “widespread flooding”.

Dumfries and Galloway councillor Gillian Dykes, who lives in Moniaive, said yesterday afternoon: “There is a lot of flooding, not only in Dumfries town centre but also in rural areas. It’s still raining. It’s still very wet and windy.

“The flooding is causing many hazards on the rural roads. Due to flooding on the roads, I can’t get to Dumfries. You may be able to with a tractor but I can’t with a car.”

Authorities were prepared to enact their Dumfries and Galloway Major Emergency Scheme should conditions demand it, a council spokesman added.

Police across Scotland warned drivers to exercise caution and restrict their speed today after at least five accidents were reported in central Scotland due to the flooding.

Chief Inspector Donald McMillan, head of central Scotland’s Road Policing Unit, said it was “just good fortune” that nobody had been seriously injured during the “horrendous” weather.

“Many motorists are still ignoring advice to lower their speed and drive according to the road conditions. This morning we had several collisions where vehicles had aquaplaned due to the excess water on the road,” he said.

Scotland is likely to enter the eye of the storm today, according the Met Office, before the worst of the wind and rain comes in from the Atlantic later on.

Severe weather warnings remain in place for central and western Scotland as the weekend begins, but the all-clear is expected in time for the clean-up operation to start on Sunday.

Meanwhile, residents in the town of Pennan, Aberdeenshire, were told that they could stay in their homes if they liked during urgent engineering work to prevent a landslide. Authorities had been preparing to evacuate the area while they secured a cliff face that threatened to fall on to the village’s only access road, but residents will be given the choice of whether or not to leave.

Scottish Borders Council warned pupils not to travel if there is flooding in their area after downpours swept across Dumfriesshire and the Borders yesterday. Commuters faced delays today as train services were disrupted following flooding and heavy rain that swept across Scotland during the night.

Ettrick Primary School in the Ettrick Valley will remain closed today after it was shut yesterday after flood warnings and heavy rain.

Train operator ScotRail said services between Glasgow Queen Street and Edinburgh would today be "half hourly" and Edinburgh to Dunblane and Edinburgh to Bathgate services would be every hour.

ScotRail said other services could be subject to delays and cancellations and advised customers to contact National Rail Inquiries on 08457 48 49 50 or log on to its website www.scotrail.co.uk for updates.