Scotland has been hit with flash floods after torrential rain battered the country.

People had to be rescued, homes have been evacuated, trains have been cancelled and roads are still blocked due to the severe weather.

With the worst of the rain yet to come on Friday, here are five useful things to know.

What has caused the problem?

Flooding has caused 2ft of water above the rails. Engineers are trying to pump the water away but the line will remain closed throughout Thursday.

What stations are affected?

Major disruption is being caused between Glasgow and Edinburgh via Falkirk High, via Falkirk Grahamston and between Edinburgh and Dunblane.

How long will the disruption last?

Once the water is clear, the track will need to be inspected and has been shut until further notice.

Replacement buses are running between Linlithgow/Falkirk Grahamston and Edinburgh.

A ScotRail spokesman said: "Engineers are at the site doing everything they can to pump the 2ft of water out from the tunnel. Once this is complete the track will need to be inspected for any damage."

Boats were deployed in parts of Fife, including Rosyth, after residents were left trapped due to the water.

A rescue station has been set up at the rugby club for affected residents.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: "The centre has been set up and we are still helping with those affected by the flooding."

Meanwhile, facilities have been forced to close including Valleyfield Community Centre in Dunfermline, Fife due to a leak in its roof.

STV Weather presenter Sean Batty says: "August is shaping up to be a very wet month for some parts of the country with Renfrewshire already having 60% of its usual rainfall for the whole month of August falling in just the first week of the month.

"Dundrennan in Dumfries and Galloway is already at over 70% of its monthly rainfall and Aviemore even further ahead at 80%.

"It's likely therefore, given these figures, that some areas will have had their whole months worth of rain in less than two weeks.

"Being so early on in the month it's difficult to tell if this month will be a record breaker with regards rainfall, but with so much falling already, and rather unsettled and changeable conditions expected to continue, it's sure to be one of the wettest Augusts for some areas."

STV Weather presenter Laura Piper says: "We will see persistent rainfall on Friday as that band of rain pushes through. Combined with wind speeds of around 40mph that could also cause quite a bit of surface spray on the roads tomorrow.

"Once that band of rain clears I'm afraid we have even more rain on the way as we go into the weekend with heavy thundery showers and potentially hail.

"The worst of these conditions are expected to hit central and southern Scotland.

"These will be heavy, slow moving showers which means that we could be in for around 30-40mm of rainfall BUT could even in the rare local spot see rainfall of up to 60mm.

"The impact could be more localised flooding and travel disruption, particularly in areas where the ground has not had a chance to recover."