STORM Barbara, which is due to hit Ireland and Britain over the next 24 hours, could mean travel chaos on the ferries, in the air and on the roads.
For rail users in Britain, engineering works could also spell long delays.
Some of today's Irish Ferries' crossings have been cancelled — a statement on Irish Ferries' website reads:
"Irish Ferries regrets to advise that due to adverse weather conditions on the Irish Sea, the 08:45hrs Swift Fast Craft sailing is cancelled. Passengers can be accommodated on either the 08:05hrs Ulysses Cruise Ferry. Check-in time is 30 minutes prior to departure. There is no need to call at this time. However, should neither of these options be suitable, please contact one of our offices. Irish Ferries apologises for any inconvenience caused by this disruption."
Stena Line has the following statement on its website:
"Winter Storm Barbara is set to bring wet and windy conditions to the UK. Unfortunately this may cause disruption to some of our scheduled sailings this Friday and Saturday."
Flights out of some British airports are likely to be affected — Storm Barbara is set to affect Scotland, north Wales and the north of England, so check ahead with your airline if you're travelling to or from these areas.
Similarly, Met Éireann has issued two wind warnings for Friday as Storm Barbara is set to cross the north and northwest of Ireland.
Donegal, Galway and Mayo are expected to be the worst affected, with severe gusts of between 100-120km/h and winds of 65-75km/h.
Flights in and out of Belfast could also be affected. The Met office issued the following warning for Co. Antrim, where Belfast International Airport (Ireland's second busiest airort) is located.
County Antrim — Yellow warning of wind
A spell of very strong south to southwesterly winds is expected to develop on Friday. Gusts of 60 to 70 mph are likely quite widely, with westerly winds gusting to 80 - 90 mph likely across parts of northern Scotland later on Friday.
There is potential for some structural damage - this more likely across the northwest of the warning area - as well as disruption to power supplies and travel, with restrictions on bridges and disruption to ferries.
A spell of heavy rain will accompany the strong winds during Friday morning and afternoon will bring poor driving conditions and some surface water flooding. Additionally large waves will develop offshore, bringing a risk of wave overtopping along northwestern and northern coasts.
Flights out of London, to date, have not been subject to any re-scheduling because of Storm Barbara.
But Heathrow, Gatwick and London City Airport all experienced a raft of delays on Thursday due to fog, and staff are warning that hold-ups are continuing to be felt.
Aer Lingus flights to and from Belfast, Cork and Shannon were cancelled because of the fog, and this also has had a knock-on effect to subsequent flights.
The picture on the roads is little better. The RAC have tweeted:
Will #stormBarbara disrupt your Xmas getaway this year? Find out with this forecast from our partners at @metoffice https://t.co/JeZbdv02dv
— RAC Press Team (@RAC_Press) December 20, 2016
Be aware if you are planning on travelling close to #Christmas this year - the arrival of #StormBarbara may now affect your journey
On the railways, several engineering works scheduled for the Christmas period will add substantially to delays.
See More: Air Travel, Featured, Ferries, STorm Barbara, Travel Chaos
