The Met Office has brought forward the start time for the amber weather warning for wind today, with it now coming into effect at 2pm
Amber warning
The warning still runs until 12midnight tonight, with the Scottish Borders likely to experience the strongest gusts of wind from late afternoon onwards. Widely these gusts will reach 60-70mph, with the potential, briefly, for 80mph gusts in the most exposed locations.
A dedicated webpage is running to provide updates.
Yellow warning
An underlying yellow weather warning for wind has also been brought forward, covering the period from 1pm today to 6am on Thursday.
Be prepared
Residents are asked to be prepared for the conditions and not to enter any wooded areas as there is high risk of falling trees. There is also the potential for power cuts and damage to buildings.
We will do our best to respond to fallen trees affecting routes across the area, however the safety of staff and contractors is a priority and resources will be targeted at swift recovery actions on Thursday, during daylight hours and in better weather conditions.
Further warnings
The Met Office has also issued a yellow weather warning for wind and snow, which is in place from 3am-6pm on Friday.
This covers all but the extreme eastern coast of the Scottish Borders. There remains uncertainty about what areas will see snow, however at low levels away from the coast there is the potential for around 5cm of snow. Accumulations over higher ground are expected to be significantly higher, possibly even up to 30cm. Strong winds could also lead to blizzard conditions and drifting snow.
We will provide updates through our free emergency messaging service SB Alert and on our website.