Weather Scotland: Amber weather warnings issued for wind for Scotland as Storm Isha sweeps in

The amber weather warning issued across Scotland’s Central Belt for wind will start from 6pm on Sunday.

An amber weather alert has been issued for Scotland’s Central Belt as Storm Isha sweeps in from Sunday bringing very strong winds.

The weather warning for high winds covers a huge swathe of central Scotland, including Glasgow, Edinburgh and the Lothians, Tayside, Fife and the Scottish Borders.

The alert is in place from 6pm on Sunday through to 9am on Monday.

The Wee Hoose, also known as Broons Hoose, is seen in the snow on Loch Shin in Lairg, Scotland. Picture: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Yellow warnings for rain also come into force across much of Scotland on Sunday.

The Met Office has advised that disruption to travel and utilities is likely.

A statement from the forecaster said: “Very strong south-westerly winds will develop widely across Northern Ireland, western parts of England, Wales and the southern half of Scotland during Sunday evening.

"Gusts will frequently reach 50-60mph, perhaps 70mph at times in a few locations and, along exposed coastal stretches 80mph is possible at times. During the early hours of Monday, winds will turn westerly and affect a wider area of southern Scotland and northern England, before easing through the morning.”

Members of the public have been advised that driving in these conditions could be dangerous.

The Met Office said: “If you must drive, you can do this more safely by taking the following actions; drive slowly to minimise the impact of wind gusts, be aware of high sided vehicles/caravans on more exposed roads and be cautious when overtaking, and give cyclists, motorcyclists, lorries and buses more room than usual.”

The forecaster has warned some roads and bridges are likely to close, and there is expected to be some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs.

“There is a good chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage,” the Met Office said.

Storm Isha has arrived after a prolonged period of chilly temperatures and snow across Scotland this week.

Overnight temperatures in Scotland again fell below freezing, with data indicating the mercury dipped to -10C in Eskdalemuir, Dumfries and Galloway, around 8pm on Thursday.

Met Office meteorologist Alex Burkill, in an online forecast, said weekend “temperatures are going to be much higher than they have been”.

He said: “Quite widely we could see places reaching highs of 12C-13C but we need to factor in the strong winds, the rain, the cloud, and so it is not going to feel quite so warm as this might suggest.”

He added: “Temperatures will be on the mild side, lifting as we go through this weekend and staying mild through much of next week. There may be some chillier spells but I think that any frost is likely to be isolated if we see any at all.

“There could be some overnight fog, particularly where we see drier calmer weather towards the South East.”