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Storm Eowyn warning upgraded to amber in Scotland

Getty Images A woman waring a long coat with the hood up is holding an umbrella which has been blown inside-out by high wind as she walks along a streetGetty Images
Gusts of up to 90mph hour are expected on Friday

A weather warning for high winds has been upgraded from yellow to amber for large parts of Scotland on Friday.

Gusts of up to 90mph are expected during the first named storm of 2025.

Storm Eowyn - pronounced "ay-oh-win" - is expected to bring widespread disruption and could cause a danger to life as a result of flying debris, along with power cuts and damage to buildings.

The amber warning - which runs from 06:00 to 21:00 on Friday - covers the south and most of central Scotland.

It includes all or parts of Central Scotland, Tayside and Fife, Grampian, Highlands and Eilean Siar, South West Scotland, Lothian and Borders, and Strathclyde.

Met Office forecasters said wind speeds could reach between 80 and 90mph in some coastal and hilly areas.

A separate yellow warning is in place from 00:00 to 15:00 on Saturday, covering all of Scotland. It forecasts up to 60mph winds inland, with up to 70mph near the coast.

The Northern Isles could experience gusts of up to 80mph during that period.

Transport Scotland said the conditions were likely to cause disruption to road, rail, air and ferry travel.

Longer journey times and cancellations are possible and some roads and bridges may also be closed.

The Scottish government's resilience room will be active while the amber warning is in force.

Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: "High winds will impact all of the country, so it's vital people plan ahead if they have to travel, particularly in the areas in south and central Scotland covered by the amber warning."

PA Media The inside of Glasgow's Queen Street railway station in January 2024, when trains were cancelled due to Storm Jocelyn. A man dressed in black is pushing a bike and two staff wearing high vis jackets are standing nearby. The station is otherwise empty and the departure board shows that services are canncelled.PA Media
Travel could be disrupted due to the weather conditions

Drivers are urged to check the Traffic Scotland website, while those using other forms of transport are advised to check with their operator to see if services are affected.

Unsettled conditions are expected to start across the UK on Thursday evening before the first weather warning begins at 06:00 on Friday.

A further area of low pressure could bring more wet and very windy weather across the country by Sunday.

There is the potential for further weather warnings over the weekend and throughout next week, the Met Office added.

Spokeswoman Andrea Bishop said: "Storm Eowyn will bring a period of very unsettled, potentially disruptive, weather to the UK through Friday and into Saturday.

"The system will begin to influence the UK's weather on Friday, with strengthening winds initially in north-western parts of the UK with accompanying heavy rainfall."

Eowyn is the fifth named storm of the 2024-25 season, which began in October last year.