Weather: Yellow wind warning issued by Met Office as Storm Eowyn to hit North East with 60mph gusts

The warning, which was introduced just before midday on Tuesday, January 21, is part of Storm Eowyn which is expected to hit the UK later this week.

The warning covers two days, although areas of the North East including Sunderland, Newcastle and South Tyneside are only expected to see the impact of the storm on Friday, January 24.

Covering much of the UK including the Scottish Borders, Northumberland, Northern Ireland and the North West, any winds are predicted to cause damage as we close the week.

Met Office predictions believe power cuts may be likely with other services such as mobile phone coverage and internet services also impacted as a result.

The weather service is also warning of flying debris which may cause injury to those in the open while public transport services such as road, rail and ferry options may also be impacted.

Storm Eowyn is the fifth named storm of the season with gusts of up to 80mph expected in various parts of the country.

Locally in the North East, these speeds are not expected, although strong winds are still expected to cause disruption.

The forecast for the North East across Friday currently suggests we will see cloudy skies with sunny spells throughout the day after some overnight rain.

Wind speeds of up to 63 miles per hour are expected across the region, which are predicted to be worse in coastal areas.

These gusts are expected to peak in strength at around midday on Friday before easing in the early hours of Saturday, January 25.

Further high wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour are currently expected on Sunday evening and into Monday.