The Met Office has issued a weather warning for the North West, including Manchester, for Friday and Christmas Eve, as Storm Barbara approaches the UK.
The warning applies to the period between midday on Friday and 6.00am on Saturday,when a spell of very strong south to southwesterly winds is expected to develop on Friday. Gusts of 80 mph are likely quite widely, before winds ease on Saturday morning.
There is also an amber warning for rainfall across the same period.
Barbara is next on the list of designated named storms following on from Angus and has the potential to disrupt the big pre Xmas getaway on Friday and Xmas Eve.
For those travelling North into Scotland, there are warnings of structural damage and flooding into Xmas Eve.
