Named ‘Storm Erik’ by Met Éireann, the strongest and most damaging winds are expected in the Republic of Ireland.  The Met Office have issued a yellow wind warning for Northern Ireland and Scotland on Friday, with the warning extending to parts of northern England early on Saturday.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Will Lang, said: “Southwesterly winds will strengthen across the UK on Friday, so it’s going to be a windy day for everyone.  Across southern parts of the UK gusts will reach 40mph widely inland, however the strongest winds are expected across Northern Ireland and Scotland, with gusts of 50 to 60mph possible.  This swathe of strongest winds will spread to parts of northern England early on Saturday morning.

Will continued: “Where the winds are strongest there could be some disruption to transport, with delays and bridge closures possible.  Large waves are expected across coastal areas where gusts could reach 70mph, possibly affecting coastal routes and sea fronts.”

In addition to the strong winds, bands of heavy rain will sweep eastwards on Friday, with a yellow warning for rain in place for Scotland.  Stein Connelly from Transport Scotland said:

“The weather has potential to cause travel disruption in the affected areas, with the possibility of restrictions on bridges due to the high winds. As always, we encourage motorists to plan their routes ahead of time, leave plenty of time for your journey, follow Police Scotland travel advice and drive to the conditions.

“Our operating companies have their winter services fully operational and their control rooms operate 24/7 to constantly review conditions and deploy necessary resources. When planning your journey drivers can‎ use the Traffic Scotland mobile website - my.trafficscotland.org - to get the latest information on the trunk road network, as well as check the @trafficscotland twitter page for updates.

“If you are planning to travel by rail, air or ferry, please check with your operator before setting off to see if your service has been affected.”

Chief Meteorologist Will Lang finished, “The good news is Sunday will be a less windy day for most of us as Storm Erik moves towards Scandinavia, however it could stay windy for a time in parts of northeast Scotland.”