Strong winds with gusts of 85mph forecast amid yellow warning for Scotland

Strong winds are set to hit parts of Scotland with gusts of up to 85mph as a yellow weather warning comes into place.

The Met Office confirmed the warning will go into place from 7am on Wednesday and will last until 7pm.

Gusts of 65-75 mph are likely, with a few places seeing gusts of up to 85 mph at times.

They warned that the blustery conditions may cause some travel disruption and there is a “slight” chance of damage to buildings.

The weather warning covers the Highlands, Orkney and Shetland Islands which are set to get the brunt of the blustery conditions.

There is currently a “slight” chance of power cuts in the affected areas.

The Met Office added that there is a small chance that injuries and “danger to life” could occur from large waves and beach material being thrown onto sea fronts, roads and properties.

Travellers have been warned to check road conditions and timetables before starting their journeys.

The weather agency advised people check their property for loose items in order to protect their property and other people from injury.

“Prepare to protect your property and people from injury. Check for loose items outside your home and plan how you could secure them. Items including bins, garden furniture, trampolines, tents, sheds and fences”, the warning said.

Insight Philip Petrie STV weather presenter

For the past several days we have been keeping an eye on the low pressure system approaching on Wednesday, as it is our next watch point in terms of disruptive and unsettled conditions.

We’re starting the week with low pressure moving across the middle of the UK, bringing with it rain to parts of England, and a small chance some of the rain will spread into parts of Lanarkshire and the Lothians, but for the most part the majority of Scotland is dry with even some brightness in the north west.

On Tuesday a weak ridge of high pressure builds across the country, and high pressure always means calmer conditions, so after a cold and frosty start to Tuesday, generally it will be a dry day, light winds to start with and temperatures returning to average for the time of year. It’s not until later in the day Tuesday that we see the strong winds returning across the north and west, with gusts of 35-40mph ahead of a low pressure system arriving overnight…

Come Wednesday we have a very deep area of low pressure moving in from the north west, passing the very north of the country, with tightly packed isobars around it which signifies some very strong winds. The Met Office issued a yellow weather warning for wind yesterday, three days in advance, covering Orkney, Shetland, parts of the north west Highlands and the Western Isles. These are the locations likely to be most affected by the winds, widely 65-75mph but in some parts we could see gusts of 85mph.

I’m not going to suggest that this might be our next named storm, but given the fact a warning was put out so far in advance, coupled with the battering we have already received from Isha and Jocelyn, I wouldn’t be surprised if at least further warnings were issued or even escalated ahead of Wednesday.