GLASGOW and the west of Scotland was today beginning a clear-up operation as torrential rain began to ease up.
Commuters faced less disruption today as they made their way into work, however it will be a short reprieve before more bad weather strikes.
Today there were still reports of localised flooding and some closures on roads in Ayrshire, East Renfrewshire and Dunbartonshire. Train services were getting back to normal, but there was still problems on the Glasgow to Wemyss Bay line due to a landslip.
Services to and from Glasgow were stopping at Port Glasgow with a replacement bus service stopping at stations between Whinhill and Wemyss Bay.
Glasgow endured more than half its monthly rainfall in just 24 hours, with more heavy rain forecast for tonight.
From 6pm on Monday to 6pm last night, 2.5ins fell in Glasgow with another inch expected to fall overnight.
Stephen Davenport, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, said: "Glasgow has seen more than half the average monthly rainfall in just 24 hours.
"It has eased overnight. However, it will be shortlived – we expect another inch of rain tonight to fall on already sodden ground with winds up to 50mph."
Roads and rail services were severely affected by floods yesterday and Glasgow's Subway system was shut to morning commuters after rainwater caused flooding at Partick Station. Engineers were able to clear the station of floodwater later in the afternoon
In Glasgow yesterday, police and fire fighters cordoned off Finnieston Street after high winds blew windows out of an 11-storey office block on to the road below.
A stretch of the A8 in Inverclyde was closed between Newark Castle roundabout and the Cartsdyke roundabout.
Parts of the M8 and M9 were also shut.
Strathclyde Police had to evacuate animals from their dog branch in Pollok Country Park when the nearby White Cart Water burst its banks yesterday. A boat was seen moored at the frontentrance to the dog branch.
Pupils in Lanarkshire were evacuated from their primary school after a burn burst its banks.
Twenty-seven pupils were rescued from Abington Primary School in Biggar, South Lanarkshire, yesterday afternoon.
The children – along with two teachers – were led through knee-high floodwaters to safety by firefighters.
Strathclyde Fire and Rescue said they had received more than 150 calls about floods throughout the day.
The service's Assistant Chief Officer, Robert Scott, said: "We dealt with a wide range of flood-related incidents across the region.
"In this particular case I'm pleased to say that, other than some wet feet, no-one was hurt and all the children and teachers were quickly moved to a safe location.
"However, an incident like this illustrates how quickly water can overtake a premises."
Despite the bad weather, this month is set to be the warmest November on record in Scotland, with an average temperature for the month of 7.8˚C, half a degree warmer than the last record temperature in 1994. That is three degrees up on the yearly average, the Met Office said yesterday.
The news comes as scientists say that 2011 will go down as one of the 10th warmest years since records began in the 1850s, even though weather patterns should be cooling the globe.
Meanwhile, the ice rink in George Square remained closed to the public yesterday for the fourth day running.
Glasgow Life, which runs the attraction, was forced to close it on Saturday, just hours after it opened, because of the torrential rain.
The bad weather caused problems with the temperature of the ice but it was hoped the attraction would re-open this afternoon.
A spokesman for Glasgow Loves Christmas, said: "We are working hard to refreeze the ice and get the attraction up and running.
"We apologise for the inconvenience, but in the meantime all other attractions on George Square, including the Observation Wheel, fairground rides and the covered main stage and cafe, remain open."
deborah.anderson@ eveningtimes.co.uk
