There are amber weather warnings for rain in place for much of eastern Scotland today,

An amber warning for rain has been issued for much of the east coast with 40-70mm rain expected with over 120mm possible on higher ground.  

READ MORE: A83 Rest and be Thankful reopen for just two days - will shut yet again at the weekend for safety reasons

Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Central Tayside and Fife plus the Grampian regions of Scotland are set to be hit by 40-70mm of rain with over 120mm possible over high ground on Saturday, Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said.

The rain is set to last throughout Saturday and into Sunday in these areas.

Mr Dewhurst said “it is going to be raining and horrible all day” on Saturday, adding: “If you have to travel and take extra time on your journey, the roads will be pretty treacherous at times with poor visibility due to the heavy rain.”

Drains could become blocked with debris as trees are now in full leaf and there is a heightened risk of flooding and very difficult driving conditions.

It comes after a low-pressure system named Storm Alex moved in from France and clipped the southern edge of Britain on Friday.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued a warning for potential flooding with the A83 Rest and Be Thankful also closed as a precautionary measure. 

The Herald: Flood alerts via SEPAFlood alerts via SEPA

Eddie Ross, BEAR Scotland’s north west representative said: “This weekend sees various severe weather warnings in place across large areas of Scotland, with heavy rain and high winds expected to have an impact across most of the country. Our teams in both the north east and north west areas are on standby to deal with any incident which impacts the networks we maintain.

READ MORE: M8 closed in both directions after serious accident near Harthill

“With heavy rain forecast in the Argyll area we’ve taken the decision to close the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful from Saturday mid-afternoon and divert traffic via the OMR as a safety precaution, with a view to reopening the road on Sunday afternoon once the storm passes.

“We’re leading with a safety-first approach and the advice from our geotechnical team is that this weekend’s weather could have an impact on the steep channels on the hillside, and we’ll be closely monitoring conditions in the area throughout the weekend.

“We’re expecting to reopen the A83 under traffic light control on Sunday afternoon following a safety inspection once the storm has passed.

"We have arranged for patrols of the network to be completed at affected areas through the warning period and we also have our incident response teams available to deal with any flooding issues across trunk roads in the north, as well as gully tankers and pumps on standby to help ensure trunk roads are kept clear."