YELLOW severe weather warnings for wind and rain will be in place for much of this week with the arrival of Storm Babet.
The second named storm of the season will last from Wednesday until Saturday, the Met Office said, and is expected to cause flooding, power cuts and travel disruption.
The first yellow weather warning comes into force from 9pm on Wednesday and covers most of southern Scotland. It is in force until 6am on Saturday.
A yellow warning for wind covering much of central and northern Scotland is in place from 6am on Thursday until midday on Friday.
Plus, a yellow rain warning for parts of northern Scotland is in place from 6am on Thursday until 6am on Friday.
Meanwhile, a yellow warning for rain for central and eastern Scotland is in place from 6am on Thursday until midday on Saturday.
Scotland typically receives 168mm of rainfall in October, but the country will receive more than this amount in the span of a few days.
The heavy rain may also cause “fast-flowing and deep floodwater” that could pose a “danger to life” and there is a chance that essential services like gas, water and mobile phone signals could be disrupted.
David Morgan, flood duty manager for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said: “Storm Babet will bring heavy rain and high winds across Scotland from Wednesday evening, starting in the south west before moving across to the north east through Thursday and into the weekend.
“Flood alerts and warnings will be issued as required, and we continue to work with the Met Office to monitor the situation 24/7.”
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution has urged the public to exercise “extreme caution,” particularly along exposed cliffs, seafronts and piers.
