Easter weekend weather warnings issued as wind, rain, snow and sun forecast

The Met Office has issued yellow warnings for wind for parts of the UK on Saturday night and Easter Sunday.

An area of low pressure is expected to deliver gales and heavy rain to northern and western areas of the country, with the risk of damage and travel disruption.

However that is not the whole story - in fact it looks set to be a very mixed bank holiday weekend.

There is a chance of snow in northern areas, while southern and eastern parts will see long spells of dry weather and warm sunshine at times.

High or very high pollen levels could make things tricky for hay fever sufferers, with UV levels expected to peak at moderate in the sunniest spots.

Good Friday may not offer the most optimistic start to the weekend.

Areas of cloud and rain will move across the UK and it is expected to turn fairly windy, particularly in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

A few brighter spells are possible, especially during the late afternoon.

Temperatures will climb to 13-16C (55-61F) in much of England and Wales but it will be chillier in Northern Ireland and Scotland with afternoon highs of 7 to 11C (45-52F).

Early risers on Saturday should see some sunshine.

But cloud will quickly spread from the west with outbreaks of rain in places, as a deep area of low pressure begins to arrive from the Atlantic - spun up by a powerful jet stream high in the atmosphere.

Winds will begin to strengthen, with a Met Office yellow warning valid from 18:00 BST on Saturday until 12:00 on Sunday.

This warning covers all of Scotland - away from the Northern Isles - as well as Northern Ireland and large swathes of northern England and north Wales.

Widespread gusts of 50-60mph (80-97km/h) are expected across this area, with the risk that winds could touch 70mph (113km/h) around some coasts.

Depending on how deep the area of low pressure becomes, exposed parts of western Scotland may see gusts of 80-90mph (129-144km/h), with rough seas and big waves crashing into the coast.

A second yellow warning covers Orkney and Shetland throughout Sunday.

Gales are likely to continue here for much of the day with the risk of gusts touching 85mph (137km/h) for a time.

Winds as strong as this bring the risk of disruption to road, rail and air transport, with the chance that bridges could be closed and some ferries cancelled.

Any travel disruption is likely to have a big impact on what is predicted to be the busiest Easter in four years on the roads.

This forecast spell of windy weather is still a few days away so the exact details, and the areas at greatest risk, are likely to change a little.

You can keep up to date with the latest weather warnings and forecasts for your area on the BBC Weather website and app.

Easter Sunday is set to be a topsy-turvy day of weather across the UK with vastly different conditions depending on where you are spending your day.

Scotland, Northern Ireland, northern England and north Wales will stay windy with sunshine and frequent showers.

Some of the showers will be wintry, especially over hills and mountains, but perhaps even bringing some snow at low levels for a time in northern Scotland.

Temperatures in these areas are likely to remain in single digits.

It will be a different story further south with fewer showers and plenty of sunshine, lifting afternoon highs to 11-14C (52-57F) in parts of south Wales and southern England - although it will be rather breezy.

Easter Monday may get off to a chilly and frosty start.

But as southerly winds develop temperatures are expected to climb, peaking at 11-18C (52-64F) with the highest values likely in parts of eastern England.

Most areas are expected to see dry weather, although some computer models allow rain to spread into the west of the UK during the afternoon - with uncertainty around the timing of this.

Beyond the Easter weekend the weather looks rather changeable with April showers likely to continue.

You can always keep up-to-date with the longer range prospects with our monthly outlook.