THE north of Scotland could be hit by gales with gusts of up to 90mph in the run-up to Christmas as Storm Barbara arrives in the country.

The Met Office has issued a severe amber storm warning which lasts from midday on Friday until 6am on Christmas Eve.

“Be prepared” weather warnings are in place for Orkney & Shetland, Highlands & Islands, Grampian and Strathclyde, officials said.

The amber warning will follow two days of yellow “be aware” weather warnings which begin at 6am today and last until 6pm tomorrow. The Met Office said Storm Barbara’s arrival could bring the possibility of structural damage or overhead wire damage in the north of Scotland, with lightning joining snow in the weather mix.

A spokeswoman said: “We have got two different weather systems. For the first one, we have a yellow weather warning and we are looking at wind gusts of up to 55mph.

“We could also have 5cm to 10cm of snow over higher ground and there’s also some lightning associated with that and, on untreated surfaces, there will also be a risk of ice in some areas.

“That comes to an end at 6pm on Thursday before an amber warning comes into place with isolated gusts of up to 90mph. The warning lasts until 6am on Christmas Eve.

“The unsettled conditions look set to continue into Christmas Day but it won’t be caused by Storm Barbara, which should have left by then.”

Forecasters say that after Boxing Day the weather will get milder, but Scotland will first have to endure some “unsettled” conditions.

“It looks like it’s going to be unsettled over the weekend, but going into Boxing Day it should be milder,” said the spokesman.

Forecasters say travel and ferry services could be disrupted and ferry operator Caledonian MacBrayne said 21 of its 26 routes have already been affected.

Drew Collier, operations director at Caledonian MacBrayne, advised passengers to visit the company’s website or follow its Twitter feed for the latest information. He said: “The west of Scotland is facing storms and high winds in the run-up to Christmas and the start of the following week.

“We would advise anyone planning to travel by ferry over the holiday period to take this into account and plan accordingly.”

Based on the current forecast, disruption to the transport network and restrictions on road bridges and cancellations at airports are also expected.

Transport minister Humza Yousaf said: “Our National Traffic Control Centre will be operational across the period with our multi-agency response team active on the days leading up to Christmas.

“Ferries are particularly susceptible to disruption due to high winds and we may also see some disruption to flights. Those planning to fly or use ferries this festive period should check with their operators for the latest information and consider the forecast as part of their plans.”

Network Rail and ScotRail are also said to be prepared for inclement weather, with information detailing travel arrangements being posted on their websites over the festive period.

Yousaf said additional staff and specialist equipment would be brought in to deal with winter weather effects on the railways.

He added: “Our operating companies will be out on the network to clear any debris from the trunk roads and to make sure that the risk of any flooding is minimised where possible.

“They will also be carrying out winter treatments where required.

“Traffic Scotland will have details of any trunk road incidents and the website and Twitter feed will be kept fully up to date with all of the real time information that drivers need to travel safely.”