The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for wind covering the whole of the Scottish Borders through much of Friday.
Gusts of up to and potentially exceeding 90mph are possible in some areas, particularly exposed coastal areas and high ground, with wind speeds of 60-70mph likely across the area between 6am and 9pm on Friday.
Further details can be found on the Met Office website.
Disruption likely
Some disruption to travel is likely, whilst there is also a risk of power cuts and property damage.
A multi-agency Incident Response Group will operate from our Emergency Control Centre throughout the amber warning period to co-ordinate the response and any recovery efforts.
Updates
During the amber warning period updates will communicated through a dedicated webpage, through the SB Alert emergency messaging system and our social media channels.
Residents are encouraged to sign up to the free SB Alert system for further updates direct to their chosen email address.
Further snow and wind warnings
Through Friday morning there is also a risk of snow, particularly on higher ground. Combined with the strong winds there is a risk of blizzard conditions and drifting snow for a time.
A yellow weather warning for snow has been issued by the Met Office between 3am and 12noon on Friday. This covers a large part of the region.
An underlying yellow weather warning for wind is in place between midnight on Thursday/Friday and 11.59pm on Friday, highlighting a risk of disruption outwith the amber warning period. A further wind warning then comes into effect and runs through until 3pm on Saturday, although wind speeds are expected to lessen during this time.