AS THE Isle of Wight gets set for Storm Barra, here's what we know to expect over the next few days.

Yellow weather warnings for severe gales, squally wind gusts and heavy rain have all been issued by the Isle of Wight Met Service.

Storm Barra will bring very windy conditions and severe coastal gales today (Tuesday).

Strong winds are expected to continue into tomorrow, causing potential disruption to travel.

A flood alert for the Isle of Wight coastline goes live at 1pm, with the afternoon tide expected to be higher than normal.

Local forecaster, Jamie Russell, says a small but potent area of low pressure will move in from the west, bringing with it a spell of very strong south to south-easterly winds.

Gusts of 50-60mph are expected widely, with 70-75mph gusts over hills and on windward coasts for a short time.

Accompanying the wind will be a spell of very heavy rain, possibly torrential at times, with the risk of hail mixed in.

Heavy, squally showers will move in from the southwest during the evening and into the early hours of Wednesday morning.

With these showers, we are expecting some very strong south-westerly wind gusts, perhaps briefly as high as 80mph around the heaviest downpours.

Between the showers, Jamie says the winds will remain below the warning threshold.

Yellow weather warnings for severe gales and heavy rain run from 10am to 6pm today. 

A seperate weather warning, for squally wind gusts, goes live at 7pm and expires at 6am tomorrow. 

Red Funnel have told customers to expect disruption between 11am and 7pm today.

What to expect:

  • Falling tree debris such as leaves, twigs and branches, with perhaps even the odd downed tree in some places.
  • Overtopping waves around the Island's western, southern and eastern coasts, with perhaps some minor breaching of sea defences along Solent coasts.
  • Treacherous driving conditions for a time with surface water and spray, especially over high ground, exposed coastal routes, and where exposed to the strongest wind and rain.
  • Traffic and travel delays in some parts along with and delays and cancellations to cross Solent travel.
  • Risk of localised flash flooding in the usual prone areas.
  • Silt, sand and other field run-off debris, especially in more rural parts.
  • Polluted storm water over-flow potentially affecting some of the Island's beaches.