The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Met Office have launched the Scottish Flood Forecast, an early-warning system to alert communities to flooding risks in their area.
The Scottish Flood Forecast provides the earliest indication possible of when and where flooding is expected over the next three days, and whether the source is from rivers, surface water or the sea, allowing communities across Scotland to take action to protect themselves from flooding.
The colour coded map on SEPA’s website describes the potential impacts on communities and links to advice and information on what protective action people can take if required.
The Scottish Flood Forecast was developed following extensive research involving the public, community flood groups, emergency responders, partner organisations and both SEPA and Met Office employees. Feedback from more than 200 users was also gathered during a trial phase from May last year.
The web service will be updated daily after 10:30am. If a situation is developing or escalating and the risk significantly changes, then an updated version of the Scottish Flood Forecast will be published in the afternoon after 3:30pm in alignment with the Flood Guidance Statement issued to responders.
The Scottish Flood Forecast can be viewed at www.sepa.org.uk/scottishfloodforecast