Storm Ciara: Met Office warning from midday on Saturday

A Met Office yellow warning about Storm Ciara has been brought forward to midday on Saturday.

Previously it was thought the storm would hit Northern Ireland at about 18:00 GMT.

It is set to bring strong and possibly damaging winds, with widespread travel disruption expected, while coastal areas may be affected by large waves and potential flooding.

The warning is in place until midnight on Sunday.

Its forecast says gusts between 80-100km/h (50-60mph) are likely across inland areas.

They could reach speeds of 115km/h (70mph) and possibly 130km/h (80mph) in exposed hills and coasts.

This is the third locally-named storm of the winter season after Storm Atiyah in December and Storm Brendan last month.

Storm Brendan led to power cuts affecting thousands of customers, while part of the sea wall at Carrickfergus, County Antrim, collapsed.

In the Republic of Ireland, weather service Met Éireann has said the "unsettled weather with strong winds and potentially stormy conditions" look "set to continue into the early days of next week, with cold weather prevailing".

It said there was a higher risk of coastal flooding due to spring tides, high seas and stormy conditions, especially for southern, western, and north western coasts.

A further Met Office warning has been issued for wind and snow in Northern Ireland on Monday and Tuesday, with snow mainly gathering above 150m (492ft).

Snow, coupled with strong winds, is likely to lead to blizzard conditions over high ground with lightning strikes also possible.

The warning, which comes into force at midnight on Sunday until 12:00 on Tuesday, covers counties mainly towards the north coast.