By John Besley
Wind gusts of up to 70mph are expected for the west of the UK this week and forecasters are warning of the potential for transport disruption.
Northern Ireland, Wales and western parts of Scotland and England will bear the brunt of the gales throughout Wednesday night and into Thursday.
The Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning with inland areas "likely to see wind gusts peak between 45mph and 55mph" and exposed coastal areas topping out at 60mph-70mph.
South-west England could also see up to 2in (50mm) of rain fall between 2pm on Wednesday and 3am on Thursday.
The strong winds may affect road, rail, air and ferry transport and may also cause some short-term loss of power.
Despite this week's warnings, Met Office forecaster Alex Burkill told the PA news agency that the rough weather is expected to ease off by next week.
"Calmer weather is coming, with temperatures rising over the next couple of days in the build-up to Christmas," he said.
"Christmas Day will most likely be cold and dry with milder than average conditions expected."
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