Heavy rain and flooding disrupt Scotland and northwest England at New Year

Two amber rain warnings were issued for Scotland and northwest England on 30 and 31 December 2024, the warning for Scotland accompanied by three severe flood warnings, according to the Met Office monthly weather report for December 2024¹. On 30 December rail services across western Scotland were badly disrupted by flooding, and strong winds led to the cancellation of Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations on the 31st¹.

The Met Office reports that western Scotland was very wet at the end of the month, with a slow-moving band of heavy rain becoming anchored across northern Wales and northwestern England later on New Year's Eve¹. The persistent rain across northwest England late on the 31st resulted in numerous flood warnings being issued and was linked to multiple traffic incidents across Lancashire, with road flooding and stranded vehicles reported¹. Across Greater Manchester the Met Office records increasing concern that the amount of rainfall could trigger significant flooding impacts by New Year's Day, "as would prove to be the case"¹. The wettest individual station reading of the month was 144.2mm on the 31st at Honister Pass in Cumbria, at 358m above sea level¹.

The month as a whole was mild and wet. The UK provisional mean temperature was 6.2°C, 2.0°C above the long-term average and provisionally the fifth warmest December on record, while UK rainfall was provisionally 139.4mm, 110% of the long-term average¹. Scotland saw 133% of its long-term average rainfall; Northern Ireland recorded 69%¹. Sunshine was provisionally 24.3 hours for the UK, 57% of the long-term average¹.

The same report covers Storm Darragh, the fourth named storm of the season, which brought significant disruption from 6 to 8 December¹. A red wind warning was issued on the 6th for west Wales and the Bristol Channel area of south Wales and southwest England, the first red warning since Storm Isha in January, and led to an Emergency Alert being issued to those within the warning area¹. The National Grid reported that in excess of three quarters of a million domestic and business premises lost power for a time¹. Two fatalities were reported on the day of the storm, one in Longton, Lancashire and another in Birmingham, both the result of falling trees impacting vehicles¹. Gusts reached 70 to 80mph widely across south and west Wales, southwest England, northeast England and Northumberland, with 96mph recorded at Berry Head, Devon¹. A cooling chimney at Ballylumford Power Station in Northern Ireland was reportedly damaged, with the site unable to resume power generation for over a week¹. Holyhead Port closed to Irish Sea ferry traffic because of wind damage, and on the 17th it was announced the terminal would remain closed until at least 15 January, with knock-on effects for the diversion ports of Cairnryan and Fishguard¹.

Why it matters for households

The disruption fell at the New Year holiday, when many rail lines were already running reduced timetables and travel plans were fixed. Households in western Scotland and northwest England faced flooded roads, stranded vehicles and cancelled events, with the Met Office recording that significant flooding impacts in Greater Manchester followed by New Year's Day¹. The Met Office's explanation of yellow, amber and red warnings sets out what each level means, and its flood warning levels for England, Scotland and Wales are described in the guide to flood alerts, warnings and severe flood warnings. Households can sign up for free flood warnings and find Floodline numbers for each nation. The wider flooding guide covers practical steps for homes at risk, including flood doors and windows and home insurance in a flood risk area and Flood Re. For those travelling, the guide to trains, buses and bridge closures in bad weather explains how services are affected. The Met Office report also records that Storm Darragh left more than three quarters of a million premises without power for a time, which is relevant to households reviewing standby lighting and heating arrangements¹.

What happens next

The Met Office report states that significant flooding impacts across Greater Manchester would prove to be the case by New Year's Day¹. No further dated steps are given in the report.