Storm Caroline FORECAST: When and where will Storm Caroline hit Scotland?
STORM Caroline is on the way, bringing gale force winds with gusts of up to 80mph to Scotland.
The Met Office has issued a yellow warning for wind for Storm Caroline from 8am on Thursday morning until midnight.
The warning area covers the majority of mainland Scotland from Oban to Aberdeen, most of the Western Isles and the Northern Isles.
Gusts of up to 80mph are expected to batter the north of the country along coastal routes and wind speeds between 60mph and 70mph will wreak havoc on the rest of the region.
Met Office chief meteorologist Steve Ramsdale said: "The strongest winds will reach the northwest of Scotland early on Thursday, extending to Northeast Scotland and the Northern Isles in the afternoon.
Related articles
The Great Storm 1987: 30 years on – round up of worst pics from the storm
Thu, October 12, 2017The Great Storm of 1987 was a violent extratropical cyclone that occurred on the night of 15–16 October, with hurricane-force winds causing casualties in England
Damaged caused by the Great Storm in Britain, 1987
"During Thursday winds will start to ease in the west with the strongest of the winds becoming confined to the Northern Isles in the evening.”
Travel disruption is expected on road, rail, air and ferry services and people are warned to allow for longer journey times and cancellations of services are possible as the storm moves through the region and large waves could hit coastal routes.
As Storm Caroline moves away from the UK on Thursday and through Friday, winds from the northwest will spread to the rest of the UK bringing single-figure temperatures on Friday and a cold bitter wind.
Mr Ramsdale said: "With the return of air from a northwesterly direction – with its origins in the Arctic – snow showers will become increasingly frequent and heavy across northern Scotland during Thursday evening.”
Getty
Scotland is also being told to prepare for snow because up to 20cm of snow could accumulate on high ground.
The warning also covers Northern Ireland, Wales and western England and could bring between 2-5cm of snow in other areas.
“Our warning shows that 2-5 cm of snow is likely for some, with 10-20 cm possible over high ground, mainly Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales," the Met Office said.
"Icy surfaces are also likely to be an additional hazard, especially overnight and during the morning. Strong northwest winds may cause drifting of the snow in places with blizzard conditions possible at times across northern Scotland.
"The heaviest and most frequent of the snow showers will progressively become confined to northeast Scotland during Saturday.”
The last named storm to hit Britain was Storm Brian, which mainly affecting western parts of Britain and Ireland in October.
