Northern Powergrid has issued advice on what to do if there are power cuts due to strong winds in the North East.
A yellow weather alert has been sent out by the Met Office, warning people to expect severe gales across the region. Wind speeds are expected to increase on Thursday evening and peak on Friday.
The Met Office warning runs from 6am to 6pm on Friday, February 17, with some parts of the North East set to experience winds of 50mph to 60mph, but gusts of 70mph are possible in "more exposed trans-Pennine routes".