Scotland weather: Forecasters warn of wind and rain

Low-lying areas, such as this car park in Callander, are already flooded

Scotland has been warned to expect more severe weather at the start of Christmas week.

Forecasters said there is likely to be heavy and persistent rain, as well as storm force winds.

The Met Office has issued a Yellow 'be aware' early warning for the wind.

Days of heavy rain have already led to localised flooding. Scottish Fire and Rescue deployed eight appliances on Saturday to deal with flooding in Jedburgh in the Borders.

Storm force south westerly gusts around 70mph are expected quite widely on Monday, with isolated gusts of 80mph in the exposed west, especially for the Islands and West Coast.

Disruption is said to be likely and "should be expected".

There may be restrictions on some of the main road bridges due to the wind strength. Disruptions to ferry sailings are also likely and the wind may cause some small-scale structural damage.

Forecasters warned the weather will bring the threat of disruption to power supplies for some communities.

Along with the wind, rain will be heavy and persistent, giving rise to the possibility of flooding.

The Tayside and Central areas are most likely to see some issues.

BBC Scotland weather presenter Christopher Blanchett said Christmas Eve will still be very windy but the strongest gusts will have subsided.

He added: "There could be a flake or two of snow falling on Christmas Day, but at the moment we are unlikely to see widespread lying snow.

"It will be less windy than Monday and Tuesday, however Boxing Day will see the return of more wet and windy weather as another low pressure system barrels in from the Atlantic".