Gusts of up to 65mph have been forecast for coastal areas of Wales this weekend, according to the Met Office.

A yellow warning has been issued for western parts of Wales on Saturday between 6am and 9pm, with forecasters warning the unseasonably windy weather could disrupt travel and outdoor activities.

The Met Office says: "Unseasonably windy conditions, accompanied by showers or longer spells of rain, will affect parts of England and Wales during Saturday.

"The highest winds are likely to affect Irish Sea coastal areas from early morning, pushing gradually south and east, and spreading inland, so that by the afternoon English Channel coasts will also see some very windy conditions.

"Widely, inland gusts of 35-40mph are possible, with a risk of 45-50 mph especially across parts of south Wales and southwest England.

"Gusts are expected to reach 50-55 mph in coastal areas, perhaps up to 60-65 mph in the most exposed coastal areas of Wales and southwest of England.

"Later in the afternoon and through the early evening, wind strengths will begin to slowly ease from the west."

The yellow warning says there is a good chance of longer journey times if travelling on Saturday, with some roads and bridges potentially closing.

There is also the chance that the wind could damage some buildings as well as temporary structures and tents.

Met Office Deputy Chief Meteorologist Steven Keates said: “There’s some potentially disruptive weather on the way on Saturday as a deep area of low pressure for the time of year moves from west to east across central areas of the UK.

"Although it’ll be a wet day for many, Northern Ireland is likely to see the highest totals, with a chance of 40-60mm of rain falling in some spots, but 20-30mm more widely.

"Parts of north Wales and northwest England could also see some very wet conditions.

“The strongest winds are more likely in southwestern areas of the UK, including parts of Wales, southwest England and along the south coast of England. The most exposed coasts could see gusts in excess of 60mph, but even inland gusts of 50 mph are possible, especially for parts of Wales and southwest England.

“With trees in full leaf, wet ground and the likelihood of a number of outdoor events etc, the impacts of this weather are likely to greater than if it were to occur during the autumn or winter.

"Winds are expected to ease from the west later in the day.

"Windy conditions will likely coincide with high tides which could present an additional challenge for coastal areas.”

After a month of largely unsettled weather for the UK, there are some tentative signs of a change, albeit perhaps only briefly, in the dominant weather pattern for the UK later next week.

Steven Keates explained: “For the latter half of next week, there are some signals of a shift in the jet stream which may allow for high pressure to build in for southern areas of the UK, increasing the likelihood of some drier weather, at least for a time. However, at this range, the details are quite uncertain and there’s still a chance of rain to areas further north. As always, details will become clearer with a shorter lead time.”