"South to southwesterly winds will increase earliest across the west of the warning area early on Friday, before the strongest winds develop across western then northern Scotland later on Friday and overnight into Saturday." “There is a risk that it could disrupt power supplies, bring disruption to ferries and flights, bring restrictions on bridges – it’s quite important people think about their travel arrangements as much as they can.”

The gusts could cause chaos on the roads for the 3.5 million drivers predicted by the RAC to be planning a Christmas getaway on Friday, with 3.8 million expected to take to the roads on Christmas Eve. They say bridges, ferry services and flights are likely to be affected by the high winds, so travellers are being advised to avoid unnecessary journeys during the peak of the storm

The danger level has been raised to amber in certain areas from noon on Friday to 6am on Saturday.
The Met Office issues warnings for parts of Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland as Storm Barbara prepares to make landfall.