How long will Storm Barbara last? Extreme winds batter Yorkshire

A 'yellow' weather warning has been issued for North, South and West Yorkshire, with gusts of up to 70mph anticipated until around 6pm today (Friday).

A separate yellow warning for West Yorkshire only runs until midnight and warns of potential similarly strong winds throughout the evening.

Storm Barbara closes Leeds Bridgewater Place road junctionStorm Barbara forces cancellation of Leeds theatre performanceThe Met Office is advising there is potential for some structural damage, although this is more likely across the north west.

There could also be disruption to power supplies and travel, with restrictions on bridges and disruption to ferries.

A spell of heavy rain accompanying the strong winds this afternoon is also contributing to poor driving conditions and some surface water flooding.

The latest forecast for Christmas Eve predicts it will continue to be very windy in the north and west of the UK with wintry showers, most frequent over western Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Later, rain will push in from the west but it will stay dry in southern and eastern England.