UK weather: New amber wind warning issued as Storm Dave to hit country

An amber weather warning for wind has been issued for parts of northern England, Scotland and Wales for this evening with Storm Dave set to batter the UK.

The amber alert issued by the Met Office warns flying debris could lead to "injuries or danger to life".

Parts of Lancashire, North Yorkshire, Northumberland, north Wales and Scotland are covered by the amber warning, which comes into effect at 7pm today and is due to remain in place until 3am on Sunday.

The agency said that "while some uncertainty remains in the exact track and shape of Storm Dave, a spell of strong southwesterly winds is expected".

Meanwhile, four separate yellow weather warnings from the Met Office will come into force this afternoon:

• An alert for wind covering northern England, parts of Scotland and part of Wales is active from 5pm until 7am tomorrow

• A separate warning for wind across the whole of Northern Ireland is in place from 2pm until 3am

• The whole of mainland Scotland and a part of northeast England also faces a yellow warning for wind from 6pm until 12pm tomorrow

• A yellow alert for snow applies to the Scottish Highlands between 2pm and 3am

Storm Dave will be at its worst later on Saturday, but will weaken on Sunday as it blows into the North Sea.

Travel disruption on the roads - as well as on rail, air and ferry services - is possible.

Large waves could cause dangerous conditions along the coastline, and there may be 80mph gusts in exposed areas.

Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said that once Storm Dave passes, parts of the UK will have a spell of warm weather.

He predicted "heavy snow" will form across parts of the Highlands through Saturday afternoon, evening and night and "as much as 20-30cm (8-12 inches) could fall over the higher ground, and 5-10cm (2-4 inches) over lower ground".

But warmer air arrives from Europe after Easter Monday, bringing higher temperatures through Tuesday and into Wednesday, he said.

England and Wales could "see temperatures rising to the low 20s, with highs around 20C (68F) or 21C (70F) on Tuesday, and possibly 23C (73F) or 24C (75F) come Wednesday".

Southeast England could enjoy the best of the sun on Wednesday, "where 23C and 24C is most likely".

Scotland's First Minister John Swinney warned of "really quite challenging conditions" later on Saturday and urged people to "follow all of the advice that's available and to make sure they stay safe".

George Fiddes, from Transport Scotland, said motorists "should check their planned routes before setting off".

Some areas could also experience power cuts.

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Earlier this week, the RAC predicted that it could be the busiest Easter on the roads since 2022 - with ABTA estimates indicating two million people were planning to travel abroad.

In Scotland, Network Rail has warned that the East Coast Main Line and services on the Ayrshire coast could be most affected by the extreme weather.

(c) Sky News 2026: UK weather: New amber wind warning issued as Storm Dave to hit country