Preparing for Autumn and Winter: Weather, Flooding and Resilience Resources

14 October 2026

As we move into autumn and winter, voluntary and community organisations may wish to review how they will stay informed, maintain essential services and support their communities during severe weather, flooding and other disruptive events.

A range of free information, training and practical resources is available from the Met Office, SEPA, Ready Scotland and other resilience partners.

Free Met Office training

Community Resilience: Winter Weather Hazards

This free online course is designed for community responders and voluntary sector organisations working to make their communities more resilient to severe weather.

The session will cover:

• Cold weather and snow
• Storms
• Rain and flooding
• The WeatherReady campaign
• Information and resources that can help communities prepare

Date: Monday 2 November 2026
Time: 4–5.30pm
Location: Online
Cost: Free, but registration is required

Register for the Community Resilience Winter Weather Hazards course

Meteorology for Responders: Lunch & Learn

This one-hour online session offers an introduction to the main influences on UK weather, using examples from significant past events.

The wider training programme is primarily intended for Category 1 and 2 responders, although some voluntary sector partners who work closely with responder organisations may also be eligible to attend.

Date: Wednesday 4 November 2026
Time: 12–1pm
Location: Online

Register for the Meteorology for Responders Lunch & Learn

Questions about the Met Office training programme can be sent to [email protected].

Download the Training Prospectuses

You can also view the full 2026 Met Office online training programmes:

Please check the eligibility information for individual courses before registering.

Stay informed about severe weather

The following Met Office services can help organisations monitor developing weather conditions:

• Met Office weather warnings provide advance notice of severe weather through yellow, amber and red warnings.
• The Met Office app provides local forecasts and weather-warning notifications.
• Hazard Manager provides specialist weather and hazard information for Category 1 and 2 responders and eligible resilience partners. Registration requires an organisational email address.

Monitor flood risk

Organisations can also use the following services to monitor flood risk and access reliable information:

• SEPA flooding information and Floodline provide flood alerts, warnings, forecasts and advice.
• The Scottish Flood Forecast provides a public three-day outlook for flooding from rivers, surface water and the sea.
• Flood Guidance Statements provide responder organisations with daily assessments of flood risk and potential impacts.

Preparedness and community resilience

Ready Scotland Learn provides free online learning about emergency management, partnership working and the role of community groups during emergencies.

Other useful resources include:

• Emergency advice, household plans and emergency kits
• Emergency planning for disabled people and carers
• Community resilience guidance and resources
• Ready Scotland social media toolkits
• Scotland’s Community Risk Registers
• Cyber Scotland guidance for charities

Are You Running a Winter Welcome Space?

Winter Welcome Spaces and Warm Spaces provide people with somewhere safe and welcoming to spend time, stay warm, meet others and access local support during the colder months.

If your organisation is running a Winter Welcome Space or Warm Space, TSI members can now add it through the members’ area of our website:

Log in to the TSI members’ area

We are currently moving from our existing Warm Spaces page to a new directory where member organisations will have control of their own listings. This means organisations will be able to add and update their venue, opening hours, contact information and other details whenever circumstances change.

If your organisation is already included in our directory, please check its current listing and let us know if any information is out of date while we complete the move to the new system:

Check the current Winter Welcome Spaces and Warm Spaces listings

Keeping these details accurate will help people find suitable spaces and support in their local communities throughout autumn and winter.

Is your organisation prepared?

This is a useful time to:

• Review your business continuity and emergency arrangements
• Check staff and volunteer contact details
• Identify essential services that must continue during disruption
• Consider the needs of disabled people, carers and others who may require additional support
• Agree who will monitor and share official warnings
• Check that important information and files are backed up securely
• Share reliable preparedness information with your community

Planning ahead can help voluntary organisations protect their staff and volunteers, maintain services and support communities before, during and after emergencies.

Please share these resources with relevant colleagues, volunteers and community networks.