The strongest winds will reach the west of Scotland earlier than thought with the severe weather warning coming into force at 6am on Thursday. 

The Met Office has now upgraded their warning to amber, and gusts of up to 90mph in exposed areas and along the coast and wind speeds of between 70-80 mph are widely expected.  

The public should remain vigilant as the flying debris "could lead to injuries or danger to life" and there could be damage to buildings.

The amber warning covers Grampian, Highlands and Eilean Siar and Orkney and Shetland.

A yellow weather warning is also in place from 6am until 6pm on Thursday which covers most of the Western Isles, the Northern Isles and the majority of mainland Scotland. 

The violent winds will lead to disruption on public transport and the roads, which may extend journey times and lead to cancellation on some services. 

The exact areas covered are Central Tayside and Fife, Grampian, Highlands and Eilean Star, Northern Ireland, south-west Scotland, Lothian border and Strathclyde.

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. 

"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."

Coastal communities may see high winds and flooding and exposed areas along the seafront will feel the harshest winds as the storm comes in.

Storm Caroline is the UK's third named storm of the season by the Met Office.

After the storm passes, it will be replaced by Arctic winds as a low pressure system moves away to Scandanavia, bringing with it bitter cold winds and freezing conditions for the whole of the UK. 

A yellow weather warning for snow and ice covers some of the same warning area as the one for wind in Scotland, so those in the north of the country should be prepared for hazardous conditions over the next few days.

The snow and ice warning is valid from midnight on Friday until 6pm on Saturday and snow showers are extended, bringing as much as 20cm of snow.

The Met Office has urged the public to be vigilant as the high wind speeds could cause injury or deaths.

The official yellow warning said: "Storm Caroline is expected to bring a spell of very windy weather to northern Scotland on Thursday.

"Gusts of 60-70 mph are expected quite widely, with gusts to 80 mph possible near north facing mainland coasts and across the Isles.

"Road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected, with longer journey times and cancellations possible. Some short term loss of power and other services is possible.

"It is likely that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities will be affected by spray and/or large waves."