The Met Office has warned it is “likely” that Storm Ashley could cause “injuries and danger to life” on coastal roads and sea fronts as 80mph winds are set to hit parts of the UK on Sunday.
There is an amber weather warning north-west Scotland on Sunday. There is also a yellow weather warning in place for all of Scotland and Northern Ireland and parts of north west-England and Wales.
The amber warning is in place from 9am Sunday until midnight and the yellow weather warning is in place between 3am and midnight.
It is expected there could be disruptions on road, rail and ferries including bridge closures in some areas.
Met Office meteorologist Aidan McGivern said on Friday evening: “At the time of recording, Storm Ashley is on the other side of the Atlantic and a relatively shallow area of low pressure.
“It deepens rapidly as it gets picked up by the jet stream during Saturday and ends up as a particularly deep area of low pressure, with a widespread swathe of gales and wind gusts in excess of 60mph for many western and northern parts of the country.”
He warned that wind speed could reach 80mph or “perhaps a fraction more” in some parts of western Scotland.
He added, “Those kinds of wind gusts could cause considerable disruption, damage to buildings, transport disruptions of the ferry crossings, for example.
“And also the risk to coastal communities of flooding because these winds coincide with high tides, so that risk is especially great.”
