Parts of Scotland set to be hit by 64mph wind gusts

Swaths of Scotland are set to be hit by gusts of up to 64mph as the third storm in the space of a week moves in from the Atlantic.

The Met Office has issued two yellow severe weather warnings covering the south west of the country for Sunday and Monday.

The warnings, which will be in place from noon tomorrow until noon on Monday, caution that very strong winds may cause disruption, particularly tonight and into the small hours.

Wind gusts of up to 64 mph have been forecast to hit Stranraer in the early hours of Monday morning.

The two warnings cover Dumfries and Galloway, South Ayrshire, parts of East Ayrshire, as well as areas of the Kintyre peninsula and Arran.

Caledonian MacBrayne has said that due to forecast adverse weather, some of its services are liable to disruption or cancellation at short notice.

Some scheduled sailings, such as Uig to Tarbet, will depart earlier than usual today due to the strong winds.

Stranraer is set to be hit by strong wind gusts. Picture: Andy Farrington

The new storm has not been officially named yet, but it is expected to be called Franklin.

The Met Office said that in the areas of Scotland said to be hit by the fiercest gusts, today will begin mild, with strong westerly winds eventually reaching gale force.

The yellow wind warnings also cover the north west of England. Separate yellow warnings for wind and rain are also in place across the majority of England.

Greg Dewhurst, a senior meteorologist at the Met Office, warned travellers to brace for more windy weather in the coming days.

“It's not long before the winds pick up again on Sunday to lead to another windy day across the UK,” he said.

It comes as hundreds of thousands of homes in England were still without power yesterday after Storm Eunice hit the UK, with insurers indicating that the clean-up could cost more than £300 million.

At least four people were killed in the UK and Ireland during one of the worst storms in decades, with a gust of 122mph provisionally recorded at the Needles on the Isle of Wight, which, if verified, would be the highest ever recorded in England.

Clean-up efforts could also be hindered by wet, windy and in some places snowy weather moving in.

Energy Networks Association (ENA) has said nearly 400,000 homes had no electricity on Friday night, with network providers recording 156,000 disrupted customers for UK Power Networks, 120,000 for Scottish & Southern, 112,000 for Western Power, 6,000 for Northern Power and 260 for Electricity North West.

Footage shared online captured planes struggling to land in high winds, damage to the roof of the O2 arena in London, and the spire of St Thomas Church in Wells, Somerset, crashing to the ground.

A spokesman for the Association of British Insurers said: "It is too early to estimate the likely insured cost of Storm Eunice, when insurers will be focusing on assessing damage, and helping their customers recover.

"No two storms are the same. The last significant storms to hit the UK - Ciara and Dennis - led to insurers paying out over £360m."

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