THE Met Office has issued several yellow weather warnings ahead of this weekend, with forecasters predicting gusts of 70mph.
On Friday, south and west Wales, south-west Scotland and eastern parts of Northern Ireland could see wind gusts of 65 to 70mph on exposed coasts and 50 to 60mph more widely within the warning areas. Meanwhile, parts of Scotland could see 30-40mm of rainfall over a six-hour period, and up to around 70mm possible over higher ground within the warning areas.
From 6am until 6pm on Friday, a yellow weather for rain is in place for areas in Angus and Kinross, and Aberdeenshire, as well as Dumfries and Galloway, the Borders, East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, and South Lanarkshire.
Bus and train services will possibly be affected with journey times taking longer, and some interruption to power supplies and other services is likely.
On Sunday from 6am until 6pm, a yellow weather warning for wind is in place for the whole of Scotland, including Shetland and Orkney.
For those away from warnings, conditions over the next few days will still be blustery and wet at times, although some parts in the east may remain largely dry until Sunday.
Met Office chief meteorologist, Steve Willington, said: “As we shift from a cold easterly weather regime to milder westerly conditions, the Atlantic air brings with it some potentially impactful weather. Over the coming days, successive weather fronts bring strong winds and bands of rainfall across the UK with a risk some areas, particularly in the west later in the weekend, could see some low or even medium impacts.
“Weather warnings have been issued to highlight the potential for travel disruption, dangerous conditions near coasts and the possibility of power cuts for some.
"Temperatures are also on the rise as part of this change, possibly peaking at 16°C in sheltered areas to the east and north of high ground today and on Friday, which is well above average for the time of year.”
