An amber weather warning has now been issued for East Lothian ahead of Storm Malik.

UPDATE: Storm Malik leaves county residents without power

Named by the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI), Storm Malik will bring very high winds and wet weather on Saturday from 7am to roughly 3pm.

The Met Office warning - which followed an earlier yellow warning - covers the north and east of Scotland as well as Northern Ireland and parts of northern England.

Storm Malik is a low-pressure system that will have a more sizeable impact on Denmark on Sunday but it will go through the UK first.

A spokesperson for East Lothian Council said they were "closely monitoring" the situation and had response teams, including from roads and amenity services, on stand-by in the event of any problems such as from debris or fallen trees.

"There is the potential for disruption including to public transport and power outages," said the spokesperson.

"Members of the public are asked to take care and be on their guard if venturing outdoors and/or travelling. We will continue to assess the situation throughout the weekend."

Storm Malik warning for Scotland

Gusts could reach up to 80mph in exposed coastal areas, but more widely 60mph as Storm Malik tracks eastwards towards Denmark.

The Met Office's amber alert will last from 7am on Saturday until 3pm in the afternoon.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said, “The impacts of Storm Malik are going to be greatest in Denmark on Sunday, but the track of the storm in the preceding hours means that the UK will be dealt a glancing blow as Malik moves eastwards on Saturday.

Why has the Met Office upgraded the warning to amber?

The Met Office has issued the amber warning as it looks more likely that we'll experience the strongest winds expected. 

It has updated its "impact matrix" to reflect and therefore has pushed the warning colour to Amber.

Which parts of Scotland will be affected?

SW Scotland, Lothian Borders

  • East Lothian
  • Edinburgh
  • Midlothian Council
  • Scottish Borders
  • West Lothian

Central, Tayside & Fife

  • Angus
  • Dundee
  • Fife
  • Perth and Kinross 

Grampian

  • Aberdeen
  • Aberdeenshire
  • Moray