TORRENTIAL rain and high winds again lashed Scotland yesterday as a summer of transport chaos continued.
The deluge of downpours last night closed theA82 dual carriageway northbound near Dumbarton, the A75 near Castle Douglas and the A77 near Maybole while in Glasgow they sparked power spikes, shorting at least 30 sets of traffic lights at junctions across the city just as commuters were heading home.
A new wave of rain fell in the morning just as some key transport links, including the Edinburgh to Glasgow railway, reopened after severe flooding on Wednesday.
It was followed by sporadic but powerful thunderstorms across the country – and in England and Wales too.
Fears have been growing in recent days that much of Scotland’s infrastructure, including Victorian drains and railway tunnels and cuttings, is not robust enough to endure more frequent and more severe weather events that have been linked with global warming.
The excessive rain of early August follows a record-breaking scorching July.
The Met Office issued a yellow warning for almost the whole of Scotland yesterday and today. It is not due to be lifted until 6am tomorrow.
The Scottish Environmental Protection Agency had 14 flood alerts covering most of Scotland, with heavy rain predicted to continue well into today.
STV’s weatherman Sean Batty said on social media: “Just looking at the rainfall totals so far this month, including this morning’s rain, and parts of Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh and Moray have already had the whole month’s worth of rain in the first nine days. Aviemore & Bishopton not far behind. “
He added: “Thundery showers tonight and tomorrow.”
National train operator ScotRail has suffered successive disruptions over the summer because of weather.
On Thursday, Network Rail, which is responsible for the tracks, and firefighters pumped two feet of water out of the Winchburgh tunnel west of Edinburgh. The closure of the tunnel on Wednesday had disrupted 150 services.
But yesterday the weather hit trains again. More than 100 services were cancelled due to further rail problems.
Services between Glasgow and Gourock and Wemyss Bay were suspended after a tree branch got caught on overhead wires near Bishopton station.
In a separate incident, some 200 passengers had to be rescued from three trains stranded near Bishopton, Renfrewshire, after overhead power lines were damaged.
ScotRail sent a rescue train to transfer passengers from the stranded carriages.
All lines towards Paisley Gilmour Street were closed in disruption that was expected to last until the end of the day.
ScotRail said engineers were working to repair the “significant damage” affecting services between Glasgow Central and Gourock/Wemyss Bay.
High winds disrupted CalMac ferries, including those to Lewis and Arran.
Road conditions were also terrible in many areas, with flash flooding and heavy surface water slowing traffic.
In Dumfries and Galloway a driver had a lucky escape after a tree fell on a car near Castle Douglas. Police said the motorist had walked away uninjured but a number of trees were down across the region
READ MORE: Disruption as flood-hit West Highland Line wont re-open for two weeks
The first stage of the inaugural Women’s Tour of Scotland cycling race had to be abandoned due to “extreme weather conditions”.
The race was abandoned two hours after starting when organisers and police judged conditions were not safe for cyclists on the Dundee to Dunfermline route. Today, the participating 16 teams are set to ride from Glasgow to Perth, with the event concluding in Edinburgh tomorrow.
In a statement, event organisers said: “Conditions have proven impossible due to heavy sections of standing water. Rider safety is paramount and conditions were no longer safe to continue.”
Police in the region warned of the dangers of driving in heavy rain.
Inspector Campbell Moffat said: “This poor and unseasonable weather is set to continue over the weekend, with heavy and sporadic rain showers and heavy thunderstorms forecast, including our region.
“Already over the past few hours we have seen a number of roads closed due to falling trees, and there is the potential for further disruption over the coming days.”
READ MORE: Climate change warnings for Victorian infrastructure
Transport Scotland said the heavy rain means saturated ground and areas already hit by flooding may be affected again.
A spokesman said: “This will cause challenging conditions for drivers and commuters, and we would again urge the public to check before they travel, follow police advice, and, where routes are passable, to drive to the conditions.
“Planning is under way to prepare for the continued heavy rainfall to allow for early interventions, such as having pumps ready and available in an effort to avoid further closures at known sites. However, the sheer volume of rain does make this challenging.
“The multi-agency response team is operational for the duration of this latest severe weather to monitor the network and provide support and assistance.”
Neil Armstrong, chief meteorologist at the Met Office, said: “This low-pressure system will bring challenging conditions, including unseasonably strong winds and heavy rain, from the west during Saturday.
“Summer storms – compared with those in autumn and winter – always have the potential to create additional impacts because more people are likely to be outdoors, especially by the coast.
“Additionally, with trees in full leaf they are more vulnerable to being brought down by strong winds.”
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