Yellow weather warning for wind issued for Northern Ireland

The yellow wind warning will be in place from 12:00pm to 7:00pm, affecting Counties Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Derry/Londonderry and Tyrone.

Forecasters say a spell of strong south-easterly winds will push from southwest to northeast across Northern Ireland through the afternoon, clearing the north coast this evening.

Winds will widely gust 45-55 mph, with gusts to 60 mph possible for exposed coasts of counties Down and Antrim, as well as over and to the lee of high ground elsewhere.

As well as strong winds, a period of persistent rain will also affect all areas for a time, making for difficult travelling conditions.

The public is advised to expect the following:

- Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely;

- Probably some bus and train services affected, with some journeys taking longer;

- Delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges likely;

- Some short term loss of power and other services is possible;

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