Storm Babet brings exceptional rainfall to eastern Scotland

Storm Babet affected the UK from 18 to 21 October 2023, bringing very strong winds and exceptional rainfall to eastern Scotland, according to the Met Office's summary of the 2023/24 storm season¹. The storm was named on 16 October 2023¹.

Winds gusted at over 58mph across northeast England and much of Scotland, but the Met Office records that the more significant impacts came from the rainfall. Eastern Scotland saw 150 to 200mm of rain in the wettest areas, and two red warnings for rain were issued¹.

Babet was the second of 12 named storms in the 2023/24 season, which ran from Storm Agnes on 27 September 2023 to Storm Lilian on 22 August 2024. The Met Office says it was the greatest number of named storms since the first season in 2015¹. The season's named storms and their dates of impact were:

Later in the season, Storm Isha brought widespread strong winds, particularly across the northern half of the UK, on 21 to 22 January 2024, with gusts of 69 to 81mph including a gust of 99mph in Northumberland¹. Storms Isha and Jocelyn, the ninth and tenth named storms, arrived in quick succession; the Met Office says they were influenced by a powerful jet stream intensified by a large temperature contrast across North America caused by a pool of cold air over Canada and the United States sinking south¹.

Why it matters for households

The Met Office's record of Babet shows that the main hazard in eastern Scotland was rainfall rather than wind, with 150 to 200mm falling in the wettest areas and two red warnings issued¹. Red warnings are the Met Office's most serious level, and the summary does not set out the specific advice given during Babet, nor the extent of flooding, damage or disruption caused. Those details have not been reported here. Households in areas covered by red warnings for rain face the possibility of flooding and travel disruption, and the Met Office's storm season summary is the record of what occurred.

What happens next

The 2023/24 season has ended, running from Agnes on 27 September 2023 to Lilian on 22 August 2024¹. The Met Office lists the names unused during the season as Minnie, Nicholas, Olga, Piet, Regina, Stuart, Tamiko, Vincent and Walid¹. No further detail on the naming arrangements for later seasons is given in the summary. For general preparation for storms and snow, see the guide to storms and snow.