Storm Dave to sweep in with gusts of up to 90mph

Some parts of the country will be battered by gusts of up to 90mph and blizzard conditions as Storm Dave sweeps in over the Easter weekend.

The Met Office has issued yellow severe weather warnings for wind covering the whole of mainland Scotland, Northern Ireland, parts of northern England and north Wales from Saturday into Sunday.

Forecasters warn there is a chance of “injuries and danger to life” from flying debris while the strong winds may also cause some damage and travel disruption.

They warn that gusts of 50-60mph are expected widely within the areas covered by the warnings, while gusts of 60-70mph gusts are possible in exposed places.

Scotland will be hit by the strongest gusts, which could be up to 80-90mph for a short time in exposed locations.

A yellow warning of snow has also been issued for north west Scotland where some places could see 10-20cm.

Met Office deputy chief forecaster, Tom Crabtree, said: “Storm Dave will form and rapidly deepen on Saturday as it approaches the UK from the west.

“By Saturday afternoon winds will strengthen significantly, with gusts of 60-70mph expected at times across parts of Scotland with the potential for gusts of 80-90mph in exposed coastal locations in Scotland.

“Gusts of 50-60mph are likely more widely in northern Britain.

“As well as strong winds, Storm Dave will also bring heavy snowfall over the hills in northern Scotland where up to 10-20cm of snow could accumulate.

“Along with the strong winds this will lead to blizzard conditions.

“Elsewhere there will be heavy spells of rain as the system moves through eastwards across the UK.

“With Storm Dave a few days away, people should prepare their property for the strong winds and keep updated with the latest weather forecast as the weather warnings are likely to be updated.”

A yellow warning of wind will be in force across mainland Scotland from 6pm on Saturday until midday on Sunday.

The warning covering northern England and north Wales will be in place from 5pm on Saturday until 7am on Sunday while Northern Ireland will be covered by a warning from 2pm on Saturday until 2pm the following day.

The snow warning in northern Scotland will be valid from 3pm on Saturday until 3am on Sunday.

Forecasters said that southern parts of the UK will not feel the impact of the storm.

The Easter weekend will be breezy at times but also much drier with some good sunny spells, particularly on Sunday afternoon and on Monday at times, they said.