A weather warning for heavy winds has been expanded to cover more of Wales as Storm Dudley bears down on the UK.

The Met Office has updated its yellow weather warning for heavy winds from 3pm Wednesday to 6am on Thursday to cover north and mid Wales

The worst of Storm Dudley looks set to his Scotland, with an amber warning in place for tomorrow, but Wales will also feel the force of the storm with winds of around 60-70mph possible.

Dudley will be followed on Friday by Storm Eunice.

BBC weather man Derek Brockway says that it is likely that Friday’s yellow weather warning will be upgraded to amber nearer the time.

He said: "Explosive cyclogenesis will take place later this week. A small low will form over the mid-Atlantic on Thursday and then deepen rapidly.

“Named Storm Eunice, it will impact the UK on Friday.

"A yellow warning is in force but Amber warnings are likely nearer the time."

There is the potential that Storm Eunice could bring significant snowfall and blizzards to parts of north Wales and the midlands on Friday.

The warning runs from midnight until 9pm on Friday, with the Met Office saying: “Extremely strong winds may develop over southwest England early on Friday, before spreading north and east during the morning.

“It is not yet clear where within the warning area the strongest winds will be but gusts of 60-70 mph are possible over a reasonably large area with a small chance of a brief period of gusts reaching 80 mph even inland.

“Coastal winds are likely to be the strongest.

“In addition to the wind, there is the potential for a period of snow and perhaps blizzard conditions, most likely over northern England, parts of Scotland, Northern Ireland and north Wales.

“However, this is very dependent on the track of the weather system and most places will see heavy rain instead.”

Eunice will bring with it the risk of fallen trees and damage to buildings and power lines.

National Highways Head of Road Safety Jeremy Phillips said: “We’re encouraging drivers to check the latest weather and travel conditions before setting off on journeys and consider if their journey is necessary and can be delayed until conditions improve. If you do intend to travel, then plan your journey and take extra care, allowing more time for your journey.

“In high winds, there’s a particular risk to lorries, caravans and motorbikes so we’d advise drivers of these vehicles to slow down.

“Drivers of other vehicles should be aware of sudden gusts of wind which can affect handling and braking, and give high-sided vehicles, caravans, and motorbikes plenty of space. In the event of persistent high winds we may need to close bridges to traffic for a period, so please be alert for warnings of closures and follow signed diversion routes.”