The Isle of Man could face travel disruption on Friday as gale-force winds are forecast to affect the island, with the potential for further disruptions on Sunday.

David Britton, a meteorological forecaster at the Isle of Man Meteorological Office, said winds on Friday are expected to reach gale force, with a risk of severe gales for a period.

The conditions could affect transport links, with ferry sailings likely to be cancelled and flights potentially cancelled or delayed.

A yellow weather warning for severe gales is considered highly likely to be issued on later in the week, Mr Britton said.

‘The conditions for Saturday still be windy, but it’s only looking to be up to a Force 6 at the moment so not as impactful,’ he added.

‘Sundays winds could be up to gale force again with a separate low developing, which could impact sailings, but with such changeable and unsettled conditions there is low confidence for that happening currently.’

The weekend forecast is therefore subject to change, with Friday currently presenting the clearest risk of significant weather-related travel disruption.

The low-pressure system expected to bring Friday’s strong winds has not yet been named by the UK Met Office, although it is under review and could be named in the coming days.

The UK has experienced several named storms in recent years, with strong winds and heavy rainfall causing disruption.

The most recent named storms have included Storm Dave (April 2026), Chandra (January 2026), Goretti (January 2026), Bram (December 2025) and Claudia (November 2025).

Storm names are selected jointly by the UK Met Office, Ireland’s Met Éireann and the Netherlands’ KNMI. The first storm of this season will be named Austen.