Caithness braces itself as Storm Babet strikes
Storm damage was caused to building in Caithness on Thursday due to gusty winds but the fear is that "worse is to come" on Friday and Saturday.
The Met Office updated its forecast on Storm Babet and extended warnings until the end of Saturday to cater for ongoing rain across eastern Scotland.
Issued at 10.23am on Thursday, the warning stated: "While there is still some uncertainty in the detail, periods of heavy, prolonged and potentially disruptive rainfall are likely to develop on Thursday and continue across eastern Scotland throughout Saturday.
"Accumulations of 50 to 100mm are expected across parts of northern and eastern Scotland throughout this period. Separate amber and red warnings are in place for parts of northern and eastern Scotland where higher rainfall amounts are expected to lead to greater impacts.
"The rain will be accompanied by very strong easterly winds across parts of Scotland, which could exacerbate impacts."
Wick weather watcher Keith Banks said he was closely monitoring Met Office updates and said on Thursday afternoon that "worse is to come". He added: "People should watch for debris on the roads like large branches and other items along with standing water.

"The gales are already gusting up to nearly 60mph which is storm force. It's the gusts that cause the damage."
Highland Council said its workers were out on the roads in Caithness and clearing any debris causing obstructions to motorists. Some trees had been brought down in the Sutherland area on Thursday and roads temporarily closed until council operatives removed them. The council also noted that there were power outages across Sutherland.
SSEN Distribution has moved to "Weather Warning" status ahead of Storm Babet and is "activating its well-rehearsed contingency plans, and is standing up more teams to deal with any damage to the network and subsequent faults, which may impact customers’ power supplies". There is more information on the SSEN website on dealing with power cuts.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) issued a flood alert for the far north on Thursday, saying that Caithness and Sutherland can expect heavy and prolonged rainfall where "some exceptional levels are forecast over the next 24 hours".
The agency added: "Property flooding and severe disruption to travel and infrastructure is likely. Very rough seas are an additional hazard expected; this could lead to spray and wave overtopping, which could exacerbate flooding problems in the lower reaches of rivers. SEPA will continue to monitor the situation." Advice and more information is available through Floodline on 0345 9881188.
Train services in the Highlands are cancelled today with Network Rail saying that the Far North Line between Inverness and Wick/Thurso and the Aberdeen to Elgin line will be closed after the Met Office warnings.
NorthLink Ferries, which operates between Scrabster and Stromness, cancelled services on Thursday and said its scheduled crossings on Friday "had a high probability of cancellation". Routes out of Scrabster into the Pentland Firth are under review until Monday.
Pentland Ferries cancelled all services between Gills Bay and St Margaret's Hope on Thursday and Friday, with services beyond that under review.
Despite the weather warnings Wick John O'Groats Airport and Eastern Airways said on Thursday that no flights had been cancelled for Friday and Saturday.
- Have you been affected by Storm Babet in Caithness? Send your pictures and stories to editor@nosn.co.uk