Yellow weather warning for rain after Hazel Nairn swept away by flood in River Don Monymusk Aberdeenshire

Another yellow warning for heavy rain has been issued days after flooding brought widespread disruption and a woman was reported missing after being swept into the River Don.

Rainfall is expected to bring travel chaos to North East Scotland on Tuesday after severe weather on Friday saw lives threatened as roads and homes were overcome with water.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has issued two flood alerts for Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City and Orkney.

The Met Office issued the alert for Tuesday, which comes into effect from 12pm until 11pm, covering an area from Stonehaven up to Fraserburgh along the coast and as far inland as Inverurie near Monymusk, where Hazel Nairn was last seen.

The 71-year-old is understood to have been trying to return home with her West Highland terrier at the time of her disappearance.

Search operation for Hazel Nairn, 71, who was last seen in the water near Monymusk at around 3.05pm on Friday, November 18. STV News

The dog remains missing as search efforts entered their fifth day.

A local vigil was held at the Monymusk Parish Church on Sunday evening.

Inspector Andrew Meikleham said: “Police are continuing to carry out searches and inquiries to trace 71-year-old Hazel Nairn, who was last seen in the water at the River Don, near to Monymusk, around 3.05pm on Friday, November 18.

*** Flood alert ***
SEPA has issued a flood alert for Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire.
The alert says heavy rain may affect the north and east of the area today & a risk of localised flooding of land and roads.
The forecast is for heavy rain from about 1pm to 4pm. pic.twitter.com/z4l5Vh5BTR
— Aberdeen City Council (@AberdeenCC) November 22, 2022

“The searches are being carried out in and around the area where Hazel was last seen.

“Local officers and search advisers are being assisted by a number of specialist resources including the Dive and Marine Unit, Air Support Unit and police dogs.”

Strong winds and very heavy rain battered parts of Scotland, bringing widespread travel disruption and flooding. STV News

The weather warning also covers the Orkney Islands.

There was widespread disruption on Friday as heavy bands of rain swept across much of eastern Scotland.

Trains and other public transport services were cancelled and many roads were made impassable by flooding.

Aberdeenshire Council opened rest centres for people flooded out of their homes or unable to access their properties.

Scottish Government ministers chaired an emergency meeting of Holyrood’s resilience committee amid the chaos, in which parts of the country experienced a month’s worth of rainfall in just a few hours.

Schools were closed and travel was severely impacted for much of Friday, with homeowners in some areas battling to bail floodwater out of their properties.