The North East is bracing for strong winds and heavy rain as the Met Office issued a warning ahead of the arrival of Storm Otto.
The storm will see gusts of up to 75mph hit Scotland and the North on Friday, with officials warning of disruption to public transport and potential power cuts. Injuries from “flying debris” are also possible.
A yellow weather warning for wind is in place from 5am until 2pm, before the storm moves east and hammers Denmark.
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Met Office chief meteorologist Andy Page said: “Storm Otto will bring high winds and rain to the UK, with some northern parts of Scotland and the North East of England likely to get the strongest gusts of wind, possibly in excess of 75mph. Warnings have been issued and could be updated as Storm Otto develops.
“There’s a chance of travel disruption and high-sided vehicles could be particularly prone to disrupted plans in this set-up. There’s associated rain with Storm Otto, with 40-50 mm of rain likely to fall over parts of western Scotland.”
The meteorologists also noted that coastal areas are at risk of large waves, as well as damage to buildings.
Across the coming weekend, conditions are expected to be fair and largely calm.
Denmark was responsible for naming Storm Otto as it will take the brunt of the low pressure weather front, and is the first named storm of the UK season, which began in September last year.
The first storm of the season named by the UK will be Storm Antoni.
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