DEVON’S motorists are being urged to drive carefully this weekend as the county braces for high winds and rain from Storm Darragh.

Storm Darragh is the latest named storm of the season following on from Storm Bert two weeks ago.

An Amber Wind warning and a series of Yellow Weather warnings have been put in place by the Met Office over the course of the next few days.

The windy and wet weather started today and will continue throughout Friday, with the highest winds expected during Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening.

The Met Office has published an Amber Wind Warning from 3am on Saturday morning to 9pm on Saturday evening (December 7) with a Yellow Weather Warning for both wind and rain from 3pm on Friday, December 6 through to Sunday December 7 at 6am.

The highest windspeeds are likely to be in the North of Devon and exposed areas down towards Dartmoor.

These areas could see wind speeds of 50-60mph with some gusts over 60mph in isolated areas.

Areas in the south of the county that may be sheltered by high ground may experience lower wind speeds.

Around 15-25 mm of rain could fall across the county over the course of Friday and Saturday with exposed higher ground at the greatest risk of flooding.

Wind and rain may cause disruption to travel, with difficult driving conditions likely.

This could lead to road, rail, air and ferry services being affected and spray and flooding may make difficult driving conditions more difficult possibly resulting in some road closures.

There may also be hazards with fallen trees, flying debris while beach material could be washed onto coastal roads.

The public are advised to take care when walking near cliffs or around coastal areas.

Devon County Council’s highways teams are well prepared and despite the disruption caused by Storm Bert highways teams ensured that most of the incidents were dealt with quickly and the majority of the road network was running smoothly just 48 hours after the storm had landed.

Ahead of this weekend Devon County Council says extra Neighbourhood Teams will be on standby ready to respond to any incidents and additional highways gangs and tree surgery crews will be available if needed.

There will be extra resources available at the Network Operations Control Centre.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highways Management, said: “We are well prepared but I would remind drivers to take care and please drive to the conditions.

“With high winds and rain there is an ongoing risk of icy patches from lower temperatures. All of this can make roads more slippery than usual.

“We know how high winds and rain impact our roads and there will be a possibility of surface water flooding and debris on the roads so please drive according to conditions and be aware that you may come across unexpected hazards.

“There remains a lot of leaves in the trees and when that is blown down it could lead to blocked drains and gullies and affect road drainage.

“We will have teams on standby once again we will be working closely with Town and Parish wardens to alert us to blocked drains and even undertake minor leaf clearance where possible and safe to do so but we also welcome any support from local residents.”

Devon County Council is reminding people of the following advice:

• Be alert to fallen trees and branches, particularly on minor roads where they may not have been reported;

• Consider if your journey is essential and be alert to weather warnings.

• Allow additional time for your journey, never drive through floodwater or swollen flowing water, you don’t know how deep it is. Find an alternative route;

• Reduce your speed and leave more space between you and the vehicle in front and leave plenty of room if you’re overtaking.

• Drive with care and according to the conditions.

• Listen to local radio for updates on current weather conditions

For more information and travel advice visit DCC’s winter travel webpages or for updates follow @DevonAlert on Twitter (X) and Facebook.