Bolton has been hit with a yellow weather warning as high winds are forecast to batter the northern half of the UK, bringing the potential for travel disruption in the run-up to Christmas.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for wind from midnight to 9pm on Thursday, meaning travel disruption is likely, power cuts are possible, high-sided vehicles could be affected on exposed roads and coastal routes could be sprayed by high waves. 

From 8am until 11pm, wind gust will range between 40 and 45mph, with a high of 11 ° and a low of 8°.

The low pressure system has been named Storm Pia by the Danish authorities, but it was not expected to be severe enough in the UK to warrant being officially named.

The Met Office forecast showers along with the wind, with more rain expected on Friday.

Take a look at the hour by hour forecast below:

8am – Light rain, 11°, with wind gusts of 45mph

9am – Overcast, 10°, with wind gusts of 44mph

10am – Overcast,10°, with wind gusts of 43mph

11am – Overcast, 10°, with wind gusts of 43mph

12pm – Light rain, 10°, with wind gusts of 42mph

1pm – Heavy rain, 10°, with wind gusts of 42mph

2pm – Heavy rain, 9°, with wind gusts of 40mph

3pm – Heavy shower, 9°, with wind gusts of 41mph

4pm – Heavy rain, 9°, with wind gusts of 41mph

5pm – Light rain, 9°, with wind gusts of 41mph

6pm - Heavy rain, 9°, with wind gusts of 39mph

7pm – Heavy shower, 8°, with wind gusts of 37mph

8pm – Cloudy, 8°, with wind gusts of 40mph

9pm – Cloudy, 8°, with wind gusts of 40mph

10pm – Cloudy, 8°, with wind gusts of 41mph

11pm – Cloudy, 8°, with wind gusts of 40mph

The Bolton News:

An area of low pressure well to the north of the UK will bring winds of 70-80mph in northern Scotland, 65-70mph on high ground, and 45-55mph elsewhere in Northern Ireland, Scotland, North Wales and England north from Birmingham as well as the top half of East Anglia.

Stephen Dixon, a Met Office spokesperson, said: “It is quite a wide wind warning area. Gusts are forecast quite widely to be 45-55mph, possibly 65-70mph to the east of high ground in Scotland.

“The strongest winds are likely to be found in the north and north east of Scotland including the Northern Isles, with 70-80mph in the morning.”