Weather warning issued as council sends out gritters on hottest day of the year
Last updated 17 hours ago
A thunderstorm warning has been issued for the whole of the Scottish Borders on Friday (June 26th).
The Met Office says up to 50mm of rain could fall in just three hours in places.
Frequent lightning, large hail stones and strong winds are all possible.
The 'yellow' alert also advises of the potential for flash flooding and travel disruption,
“Spells of heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected to become more widespread during Friday morning, with further thunderstorms and heavy rain possible through the afternoon before conditions gradually improve later in the day,” a local authority spokesperson said.
“Rainfall amounts will vary considerably across the area.”
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It comes just hours after Scottish Borders Council confirmed it had sent out gritters, as temperatures soar – to stop roads melting in the heat.
Chief executive David Robertson told the BBC: "If you see the gritters, it's not the council being daft, it's us actually trying to protect the road surface.
"We're providing a fine layer of sand to prevent the melting of the tar.
"What we're seeing is ambient road temperatures at the height of the heat up in the 40s, and that causes the tar on the roads to melt."
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Temperatures in Hawick and Newcastleton were expected to reach 31 Celsius today (Thursday).
And road surface temperatures were hitting over 50 degrees across multiple sites in the Scottish Borders.
The road between Stow and Lauder was forced to close to prevent further damage.
The emergency road closure is due to remain in place until 10am on Monday, due to the damage already caused.
A council spokesperson added: “The whin dust applied to the road surface is to absorb the soft bitumen and stabilise the road surface, making it less sticky.
“This reduces the chance of further damage, albeit the road surface will only fully revert back to normal once temperatures drop.”
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Recycling centres closed early today due to the conditions, while some bin collections were brought forward to protect workers from the heat.
And, in Kelso, the town's High School has announced it's relaxing its dress code for one more day due to the continued warm weather.
A spokesperson said: "Learners may attend school wearing appropriate shorts and appropriate t-shirts to help keep cool during the school day.
"As previously advised, lycra shorts, strappy tops and other unsuitable clothing should not be worn."
And it adds: "We would also encourage learners to bring a water bottle and ensure they have appropriate sun protection for the day."
Meanwhile, health chiefs revealed the emergency department at Borders General Hospital was "very busy".
It's advising the public to only attend for life-threatening emergencies.
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