Gertude to batter Ulster till Monday

The Met Office has issued rain, wind and snow warnings for Northern Ireland from today until Monday - with a lull on Sunday.

The extreme weather is due to Storm Gertrude.

A yellow rain warning is in place until 10am this morning with up to 40mm expected on hills.

An amber wind warning runs from 3am -10am today with winds ranging from 60-80mph, relaxing somewhat to a yellow wind warning from 10am-6pm.

A yellow wind and snow warning is in place from midnight Friday until 3pm Saturday, with snow up to 3cm deep and winds reaching 70mph.

A further yellow wind warning is in place for 24 hours from midnight on Sunday.

A succession of storms since December has seen widespread flooding and major disruption to travel, with the latest misery expected to continue through to the weekend.

Forecasters said: ‘’West to south-westerly gales are expected to develop widely across Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of northern England early on Friday.”

Winds are expected to widely gust 60-80mph.”