Severe weather warning issued for Derry

The status yellow warning, which has been issued for the north of Ireland, is for high winds and is valid from 09.00 on Friday December 23 to 23.59 on December 25.

The approaching weather has been named Storm Barbara and is expected to arrive here on Friday.

Gusts of 60mph to 70mph are likely with westerly winds gusting to between 80mph and 90mph.

The Met Office is warning about possible structural damage, disruption to power supplies, travel delays and restrictions to some bridges.

The strong winds are expected to continue on Christmas Day.

The high winds are expected to disrupt travel plans, power supplies and access to some bridges could be restricted on Christmas Day.

Large waves are expected to affect coastal areas as a result of the storm.