The Isle of Man is facing a severe weather forecast this week that could see winds reach highs of 60 miles per hour (mph).
Tomorrow (Wednesday, December 20) will see strong winds on the island, with gusts later in the day and overnight into Thursday potentially reaching top speeds of 50mph.
Thursday (December 21) will see severe gales throughout the day with patchy rain accompanying winds that could reach a high of 60mph.
It has been warned that these severe gales on Thursday could lead to travel disruptions throughout the island.
The gales will continue early on Friday (December 22) but then downgrade into strong winds, with light and patchy rain continuing throughout the day.
A spokesperson from the Ronaldsway Meteorological Office commented: ‘It is too early in the week to issue a yellow weather warning, but if one was to be issued it would be in the next couple of days [today and tomorrow].
‘We don’t expect the weather to be anything out of the ordinary for this time of year. The forecasted weather for the rest of this week is quite common.’
At the time of writing, the forecasts for Saturday (December 23) and Sunday (December 24) are not yet available, but the spokesperson from the Met Office said they do not believe the weekend’s weather will be as severe as Thursday’s and Friday’s.
In what will be a concern for shoppers and those hoping to head off-island for Christmas, Manxman sailings on Thursday (December 21) and Friday (December 22) are in doubt due to the forecasted severe winds.
However, it is understood the Steam Packet has a contingency plan in place to provide additional freight services to and from the island.
Isle of Man Today understands that the Steam Packet is planning ahead given the weather forecast to minimise the impact of any potential disruptions to customers, especially this close to Christmas.
It's also understood that the MV Arrow is due to sail this week to provide extra freight services.
The UK met office has already issued a yellow weather warning for Thursday in Northern Ireland and Northern England as well as Scotland. This has been issued ahead of ‘Storm Gerrit’, the third storm in the UK this month, with the UK Met Office website saying: ‘Strong winds are likely to affect a wide area through Thursday, potentially causing some travel disruption.’