WEATHER WARNING - FRIDAY/SATURDAY

The Met Office has issued a YELLOW weather alert for WIND for Ayrshire valid from 0900 hours Friday 23rd December to 0900 Saturday 24th December. 

A spell of very strong south to southwesterly winds is expected to develop on Friday. Gusts of 60 to 70mph are likely quite widely, with westerly winds gusting to 80 to 90mph likely across parts of western and northern Scotland later on Friday and overnight into Saturday. Winds will then moderate on Saturday morning.

Be aware of the potential for some structural damage - this more likely across the northwest of the warning area - as well as disruption to power supplies and travel, with restrictions on bridges and disruption to ferries.

With an AMBER alert in place for parts of northern and western Scotland, this low pressure system becomes the second named storm of the season and will be known as Storm Barbara.

We continue to advise the public to avoid exposed coastal areas during times of severe weather and the advice for travelling is to plan ahead. 

Follow the hashtag #StormBarbara on Twitter for continued updates.

A spell of very strong south to southwesterly winds is expected to develop on Friday. Gusts of 80 mph are likely quite widely, with westerly winds gusting to 90 mph likely across parts of western and northern Scotland later on Friday and overnight into Saturday. Winds will then ease on Saturday morning.

Be aware of the potential for some structural damage - this more likely across the northwest of the warning area - as well as disruption to power supplies and travel, with restrictions on bridges and disruption to ferries.