Storm Barra: What can the North West expect?

• Article by ITV Weather forecaster Emma Jesson

Storm Barra, the second named storm of the season, is on its way across the Atlantic with yellow wind weather warnings in place.

But, nearly two weeks after Arwen battered the region, causing many to go for days without power, how badly with the North West be affected?

It is important to remember Storm Barra was named by the Irish Met Service because Ireland is bearing the brunt of the impacts of the storm.

There is already disruption to travel is already being caused flights and ferries cancelled.

Storm Barra will have impacts on North West England and the Isle of Man, but it won't have the potency of Storm Arwen. Arwen was a major storm.

So, the area of low pressure now known as Storm Barra tracks slowly eastwards today, Tuesday - and it is very slow-moving.

Once it crosses to the cold side of the Jet Stream, it deepens rapidly, hence the strong gusts of wind we are forecasting today.

Widely, gusts of 45-50mph throughout Tuesday, but 70mph gusts through the Irish Sea and across the Isle of Man, causing significant overtopping of waves - a warning of 70mph winds here in force until 3am Wednesday.

So severe gale force gusts at the coasts as well as over high ground.

Barra will bring some heavy rain as well as snow, 2-5cm widely but maybe 10-20cm at higher levels, causing potential blizzard conditions for trans-Pennine routes.

The Met Office has issued a yellow warning of snow, from 11am on Tuesday until midnight for the North West, it includes parts of Greater Manchester such as Tameside, Rochdale and Oldham.

This wintriness becomes confined to the North Pennines later on Tuesday afternoon, so it's a transient snow risk.

Winds also ease for a while on Tuesday evening as the eye of the storm crosses our ITV Granada patch.

Still breezy overnight Tuesday, but with gusts of 35-40mph, not as windy as Tuesday daytime.

Storm Barra remains with us on Wednesday giving continued blustery, wintry showers, but it won't be as windy as Tuesday, still gusts of 35-40mph in the showers.

Barra finally fades on Thursday.