WINTER STORM . . . a rainswept Annan High Street on Friday afternoon
Although there was little damage by late Friday in the region with gusts up to 60 mph on the coast and high ground more severe gales were expected overnight and squally showers throughout Christmas Eve.
Main problems were on the roads where heavy rain has caused flooding, a particular issue for drivers of smaller cars with a lower wheelbase.
Police Scotland at Dumfries urged drivers to slow down and drive carefully throughout the weekend.
A spokesman said: “The yellow weather warning is currently in place across Dumfries and Galloway. A spell of heavy rain will accompany strong winds during Friday and will bring poor driving conditions and some surface water flooding.
“The surface water and river flood risk is low for southern Scotland and it is expected this weather warning will have a minor impact across Dumfries and Galloway.
“Rain in the West throughout the period could lead to isolated flooding of low lying land and roads. Motorists are are urged to reduce theirr speed, increase the gap and drive safely.”
Train services through Dumfries and Galloway were affected by the storm on Friday with a revised service between Glasgow Central and Newcastle due to bad weather which has affected stations at Sanquhar, Dumfries, Annan and Gretna.
Passengers are advised to contact ScotRail for up-to-date details and it’s a similar story on the mainline service through Lockerbie.
Stena Line ferries between Cairnryan and Belfast experienced delays of up to 45 minutes on Friday as a result of Storm Barbara and they expected possible delays and extended journey times on Irish Sea routes throughout the day and into Saturday.
A spokesman said: “We are advising everyone to check in as normal but we would like to advise travelling passengers that due to Storm Barbara, we are expecting wet and windy conditions in the UK on Friday and possibly Saturday.
“This may cause disruption to our sailings scheduled on these days.”
Further gales and heavy rain were expected through Christmas Day and there is a warning that a further storm – Storm Connor – will hit Scotland on Boxing Day with the worst of the weather further north in Scotland.
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