North West weather forecast: Preston, Blackpool and Burnley to be hit by 70mph winds with yellow warning issued

The Met Office is warning that a large swathe of the UK will be blasted by the windy spells on Saturday (29 Feb), with Preston, Blackpool and Burnley among the areas affected.

Up to 70mph winds

Strong winds are forecast to move into south westen parts of the UK by Saturday afternoon, and will steadily move north east through the course of the evening.

The winds will continue overnight and into Sunday morning, with gusts between 50 and 60mph likely quite widely, particularly in alliance with heavy showers across England during Saturday afternoon.

In exposed and coastal areas, more isolated gusts of 65 to 70 mph are expected.

The yellow weather warning is in place for the North West of England from 12pm on Saturday (29 Feb) until 12pm on Sunday (1 Mar).

The following areas across the region are to be affected by the windy weather:

- Blackburn with Darwen

- Blackpool

- Cheshire East

- Cheshire West and Chester

- Cumbria

- Greater Manchester

- Halton

- Lancashire

- Merseyside

- Warrington

The Met Office has warned the gusty conditions could cause some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport, particularly for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges.

Some coastal routes and sea fronts are also likely to be affected by spray and large waves.

The forecast in full

Thursday (27 Feb) will be mostly dry, with a few wintry showers and cold winds throughout the day.

Showers will subside by the evening, making way for a predominantly clear and calm night. Some frost is expected as temperatures drop to a chilly -3C.

Friday will bring some rain and hill show to the region during the morning, which will last much of the day. Conditions will be windy, particularly around coastal parts.

The weekend is forecast to be unsettled and very windy, with frequent spells of rain and hill snow likely. Winds should ease by Monday (2 Mar), although some wintry showers are expected.