The Newcastle Falcons have postponed tonight's Gallagher Premiership game against Worcester Warriors by a day because of the expected weather.

A spokesman said: "In light of the red weather warning, for the safety of our players, spectators and staff the decision has been made to move the game to Saturday."

The game, which had been due to start at Kingston Park at 19:45, will kick off tomorrow at 18:00.

Graeme Ogston
Tayside and Central Reporter

ScotRail says it is limiting train speeds between Aberdeen and Dundee until at least 21:00.

The rail operator says a speed restriction will also shortly come into effect between Dundee, Perth and Dalmeny.

Its Edinburgh to Arbroath trains will only run between Edinburgh and Dundee.

A red warning for wind is in place for parts of Scotland and the north east of England.

Below BBC weather forecaster Darren Bett explains more about the progress of Storm Arwen.

Image source, Chris Booth

This is the scene in the Aberdeenshire town of Braemar this afternoon as Storm Arwen tightens its grip across the country.

Keen weather photographer Chris Booth captured the shot of the snowy conditions at about 14:30.

This tweet from @Miss_McF showed the strong winds in Portsoy in Aberdeenshire.

Giancarlo Rinaldi
South Scotland reporter, BBC news website

Coastal communities in the Borders, including Eyemouth, Burnmouth, Pease Bay and Cove, have been warned to expect the worst conditions as Storm Arwen arrives.

Large waves of over three metres and overtopping along the Berwickshire coast have been forecast.

As a precaution, flood barriers are being put in place on Harbour Road in Eyemouth and the harbour has been closed.

An out-of-hours helpline has been set up by Scottish Borders Council for anyone in the area facing issues on 01835 826549.

The East Coast mainline north of Berwick is being closed at 17:00 GMT today, with London North Eastern Railways (LNER) passengers being urged to defer any travel until after the weekend.

A number of services already bound for Aberdeen are being terminated at Edinburgh, with replacement buses in use, the company said.

Services that can operate face extended journey times, and short notice delays and cancellations are expected. Tickets dated 26 to 28 November will be valid for use on services between 29 November and 1 December.

Warrick Dent, LNER safety and operations director, said: “We are encouraging our customers with tickets dated for today and this coming weekend to defer their travel arrangements where possible.

“We expect services to be extremely busy throughout the weekend and advise customers to check our website and social channels for the latest information.”

Red weather warnings are only issued rarely.

They cover the most serious types of weather - when there is risk to life as well as damage to buildings and roads.

Today's warning is over the strength of the winds, although warnings can cover snow, ice and rain.

The most recent red warning of any weather type to have been issued across the UK was on 16 February 2020 for heavy rain in South Wales associated with Storm Dennis.

The last time Scotland had a red wind warning was on 1 March 2018 during the Beast from the East, when there was a combined wind and snow warning which also covered parts of south west England and south Wales.

Image source, Simon C Woodley

People are being warned to take extra care along the coast as "exceptionally high" waves are being predicted during Storm Arwen.

The Met Office said winds of up to 100mph were likely to generate "some very large waves".

"We are talking about wave heights that really are exceptional," a spokesman said, adding: "I've heard of nine to 10m waves out at sea, which is particularly noteworthy."

RNLI water safety manager, Ross Macleod said: "This rough weather could make visiting our coasts around the UK and Ireland treacherous and bring very dangerous sea conditions.

"If you see someone else in danger in the water, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. If you have something that floats that they can hold on to, throw it to them. Don’t go in the water yourself – too many people drown trying to save others."

Police Scotland have warned motorists in areas covered by the red warning not to travel "under any circumstances".

Supt Simon Bradshaw, from Police Scotland's road policing unit, said people in inland areas with amber and yellow warnings should only travel if it is essential and be "mindful of the challenging conditions you will face".

But, in red warning areas of north, east and southern parts of Scotland, "any motorist within these affected regions should not travel under any circumstances".

The red warning is in place for all coastal areas within Angus, Dundee, Fife, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, East Lothian and the Scottish Borders.

A number of local road closures and bridge restrictions may also be implemented and police area advising people to consult the Transport Scotland, external and Met Office, external websites for updated information.

Forecasters have warned people to avoid the coast as they put parts of Scotland and the north of England on maximum alert as Storm Arwen sweeps into the country.

The Met Office has issued the rare red warning for wind from 3pm on Friday to 2am on Saturday as the first winter storm is set to batter the country, with gusts forecast to be as high as 90mph.

Grahame Madge, a Met Office spokesman, said the forecaster did not issue red warnings lightly and warned people to stay away from the affected area.

The red warning stretches along the east coast from Middlesbrough to beyond Aberdeen.

It is the first maximum alert to be issued since Storm Dennis in February 2020.

The warning means the impact is likely to be severe, with the potential for damage to buildings and homes, with roofs blown off and power lines brought down.