Forecasters are warning of possible flooding and danger from fast-flowing water as a prolonged spell of heavy rain sweeps across Scotland.
An amber alert came into effect at midnight for the southwest of the country, while a lesser yellow warning covers much of the west of the continent.
The Met Office said 50-70mm of rain could fall widely in the Amber area, rising to 110-130mm in the Galloway Hills and other parts of the Southern Uplands during Sunday.
Homes and businesses could be flooded and fast-flowing rivers or flash floods could pose a “danger to life”, while bus and train travel faced possible cancellations or delays, it warned.
Overnight, the A78 in Greenock had to be closed due to flooding. Traffic Scotland said the road between the town and Inverkip remained closed in both directions due to water on the road.
There is a diversion, taking traffic along the coast road through Gourock.
The Met Office’s amber warning covers much of south-west Scotland, including Dumfries & Galloway, the Scottish Borders, parts of South Lanarkshire and parts of Ayrshire, lasting all day.
Strong winds and gusts from the southwest are also expected throughout Sunday, making conditions worse.
Separate yellow warnings are already in place across much of the country, including Glasgow, Fife and Stirling. These warnings will last until either the end of the day on Sunday or 09:00 on Monday, depending on the area.
Forecasters believe the amount of rain is likely to lead to some flooding [Getty Images]
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) has issued 10 regional flood alerts ahead of the heaviest rain, with the latest flood warning updates published online.
ScotRail has already canceled Sunday services between Kilmarnock and Dumfries as a precaution.
Police Scotland said people should avoid traveling unless necessary, while Transport Scotland warned that travel could be affected by the poor conditions.
Scottish Borders Council said a multi-agency incident response team would operate from the council’s emergency control center from 07:00 on Sunday to co-ordinate the response and any recovery efforts.
Regular updates to the public will be provided via SB Alert and a dedicated severe weather page on the council’s website.
The local authority said it would monitor river levels with Sepa, while surface water flooding could also become a problem.
Scottish Government Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop advised people to plan ahead and allow plenty of time for travel.
She said the heavy rain “could have an impact on the transport network”.
Hyslop added: “It’s important that people plan their journeys before they set off. Drivers should make sure their routes are available, follow travel advice from Police Scotland and drive according to the conditions.
“If you plan to travel by train, ferry or plane, please check with your operators to see if the conditions have any impact on your services.”
Police Scotland Adviser Andrew Barclay, from the force’s Roads Policing Unit, said motorists should “drive in the conditions and be aware of the increased stopping distances”, as well as have altered routes planned.
He added that people should ensure they have enough fuel, warm clothing, food and water, as well as a charged mobile phone, in case they are affected by the outage.
Trains and ferries
Traffic on the A83 Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll has been diverted along the Old Military Road alternative route as a safety precaution in the event of landslides.
A decision on the return of traffic on the A83 main road will be made on Monday following road and hill safety checks.
As well as canceling Kilmarnock to Dumfries services, ScotRail said there would be speed restrictions on some routes.
In a social media post, the rail operator said: “As a safety measure, speed restrictions will be in place along sections of our Oban, Fort William, Mallaig and Kyle of Lochalsh routes.
“These will be in place from 6pm tonight and remain in place until 9am on Monday. Please be aware that journey times will be extended as a result.”
A number of CalMac ferry services were also canceled due to the strong winds
The warning comes just days after Storm Bram swept across the country.
Amber wind warnings were seen in force across north-west Scotland and the M74 closed between junctions 12 and 13 near Abington in South Lanarkshire after strong winds overturned numerous HGVs on Tuesday night.
The second named storm of the season also caused problems for rail travelers with downed trees and damaged overhead wires, and more than 1,000 properties lost power.
At the height of the storm, gusts of 76mph were recorded on South Uist in the Western Isles, with similar speeds also felt in Lanarkshire and Dumfries and Galloway.