Hillwalkers will find the going hard on the tops

The Met Office has issued an amber severe weather warning of storm-force winds across north Wales and northern England for Friday.

Gusts of up to 80mph are expected and the public should expect disruption to travel and power supplies, the official meteorologists said.

The winds will be accompanied by heavy overnight rain, with rivers likely to be in spate on Friday.

The Met Office said: “Severe gales are expected to continue through the rest of the day. However the early rain will clear, to be replaced by squally, heavy showers, possibly wintry over the summits, with longer spells of rain at times.”

It said there would also be severe chill in the very strong winds and rain.

The independent Mountain Weather Information Service said gusts of up to 100mph are possible on Lake District summits. Walking will be ‘torturous’ right down to valley levels.

Windchill would make it feel more like –16C on the tops, it said. In Snowdonia, the strongest winds are likely to occur on the Snowdon range.

Winds are expected to ease slightly over the weekend.

The avalanche risk remains high in the southern Cairngorms and in Glencoe on northern aspects, with considerable risk in other areas, according to the sportscotland Avalanche Information Service.