Large areas of Britain face wet and windy Christmas

Large areas of Britain face a wet and windy Christmas, with risks to power supplies, the Met Office said in a warning Thursday.

Meteorologists at the Met Office say Storm Barbara, the second named storm of the season, will bring gales and squally rain to Britain on Friday and may bring disruption to travel plans as people head off to visit friends and family for the Christmas weekend.

The windiest and wettest weather will be in the north and west of Britain with National Severe Weather Warnings in place. Wintry showers, strong winds and lightning could lead to disruption to power supplies and travel across north west England, the weather experts say. Another wind warning is in place for parts of northern Britain for Christmas Day.

The wet and windy weather is a result of a succession of deep Atlantic low pressure systems.

Deputy Chief Meteorologist, Brent Walker said: "Storm Barbara is crossing the Atlantic and will pass close to the northwest of the UK during Friday, bringing the potential for some disruption to power supplies and travel, and possibly structural damage."

An Amber wind warning has been issued for northern and western parts of Scotland for Friday afternoon, evening and overnight into Christmas Eve. This could be followed by thunder and lightning and wintry showers. Two separate Yellow wind warnings are in place, one covering northern parts of Britain where gusts of 113 km/h are expected. Endit