Heavy rain and 55mph winds to hit Edinburgh on Friday with potential for more stormy weather next week

Heavy rain and winds of up to 55mph are set to hit Edinburgh on Friday as the city finds itself wedged between two Met Office weather warnings.

The yellow 'be aware' warning for rain, to the south-west of the Capital, will be in place between 6am and 9pm on Friday, while a yellow wind warning for East Lothian affecting the city's eastern outskirts will also be in effect from 8am to 8pm.

Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said wind speeds could reach 55mph in the Capital with 65mph gusts possible in more rural areas in the Lothians and Borders.

He said: "It's not going to be pleasant."

Mr Claydon said the strong winds are down to 'lee gusts' coming off the Pentland Hills.

And he said that, although the rain warning is west of Edinburgh at present, that doesn't mean to say the rain won't still be heavy on Friday.

Indeed, the Met Office website suggests a 90 per cent chance of rain from noon until 3pm on Friday with more rain into the evening.

Mr Claydon said: "There's a band of rain moving in from the west and it will be blustery but the top gusts will be a little further south.

On Saturday, a low pressure system will move over Scotland bringing more wind and showers. Temperatures could dip to freezing or below in rural areas around Edinburgh, especially at night.

Sunday will also bring bad weather but it's not likely to be as severe.

However, Mr Claydon said another low pressure system will come through on Monday but it's still too difficult to say with certainty how it will behave.

He said: "The broad model agreement is that it will be wet and windy with the low pressure system over the northern half of the UK but the exact positioning, where and when it's likely to be wet and windy conditions, and the extent of how bad it will be, is not yet clear."

Between now and Friday the weather in Edinburgh is set to be a bit showery and grey but not unusual for this time of year.