Dramatic thaw causes flooding

A sudden rise in temperature and heavy rain has caused serious flooding in Perthshire with rivers across Scotland rising and threatening to break their banks.

Fields that had a thick covering of snow and ice a couple of days ago are now mini lagoons. Where there is a slope, the water is forming new streams that are gushing onto and flooding roads.

The first river to flood was the Earn in west Perthshire (shown above at Kinkell Bridge, near Auchertarder) this afternoon). This was followed by the Almond, just to the north.

SEPA (Scottish Environmental Protection Agency) is responsible for issuing flood warnings. As well giving Severe Flood Warnings for the Earn and Almond, they are currently listing 9 Flood Warnings, mainly for the Tay and its tributaries, and a further 17 (less urgent) Flood Watches across Scotland. 

Live Flood Updates can be found on SEPA's website.

Reading the signs

Two o’clock may not seem late to start a walk, but at mid winter in Scotland the afternoons are short. I know the sun has passed its zenith, but feel the need to experience the blue sky and sunshine before they fade.

After a month of snow and freezing conditions, a slow thaw has reduced the white cover to a few inches in depth. Yesterday the snow was horribly wet, soon soaking my old boots, but an overnight freeze means crisper underfoot conditions today.

I head for one of my favourite wooded knolls, topped by spreading oaks and flanked with coppiced hazel and juniper. Less snow settles under trees than in the open, and during the thaw their dripping branches has splattered that thin layer so that it has completely disappeared in places.

Here I find some welcome colour to relieve the monochrome world of fog-shrouded snow that I have walked in for two days. Vivid green moss covers the ground and base of the trunks, while a filigree of orange twigs reach into the blue sky.

Repeated falls of thick snow have battered the bracken into submission, making it easier to cross the open ground that is less shaded by trees. These snow fields are untouched by human footprint, but criss-crossed with animal tracks. 

Lunar eclipse and winter solstice

The last total eclipse of the moon on the winter solstice was 400 years ago and the next one will be in 2094, so this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see and photograph the event. It was enhanced by snow and extreme cold.

Here are some of the images I captured of this morning's remarkable natural spectacle, shot from Bogton Braes, the hills rising to the south of Comrie in Perthshire, Scotland. Despite the extreme cold, I stayed long enough to see the rising sun's rays colour the hills to the west and north with a rosy glow.

If you are on an iPhone or another device that doesn't use Flash, you can view the pictures in this Picassa Album