AYRSHIRE is set to be battered by winds of up to 80mph this weekend as Storm Ciara arrives.

Weather experts have officially named the storm on its way from across the Atlantic, with hefty travel disruptions expected all across Scotland.

The Met Office has issued a Yellow weather warning for Saturday AND Sunday.

Strong winds and heavy rain is likely across much of the UK from around 6pm on Saturday, February 8 until just before midnight on Sunday, February 9.

All of Ayrshire will be impacted, with inland areas should expect to face gusts of 50 to 60mph.

However, coastal land such as Ardrossan, Irvine, Troon and Ayr could experience even worse with the Met Office claiming winds of around 70, possibly 80mph.

A spokesperson for the organisation said: “Very strong winds may bring disruptions to parts of the UK later this weekend, with the possibility of roads and bridges being closed.

“Delays to road, rails, air and ferry transport is expected, with coastal routes, sea fronts and communities to be affected by large waves and spray.

“There is a slight chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services such as mobile phone coverage.

“Damage to buildings, with tiles blown off roofs is also a possibility.

“Heavy rain will be an additional hazard, especially over western hills.”

West coast ferry operator CalMac have provided their own warning ahead of the weekend.

They say that ‘severe disruption’ is likely to affect a significant number of their routes as a result of the stormy conditions.

Robert Morrison, CalMac Director of Operations, said: “Weather for the weekend is looking extremely problematic as far as delivering a scheduled timetable.

“There is a very high possibility of weather related disruption to services across all 28 of our routes so people should be aware of this before setting off on their journey.

“I would urge passengers to allow extra time for their journey, keep track of the status of their sailing on the website or on social media and be prepared for delays and cancellations.”