Courier country is set to be battered by Storm Abigail’s gale-force winds.
The Met Office has issued yellow severe weather warnings for most of the north of Scotland, with the Western and Northern Isles, Highlands and Argyll subject to an amber warning.
The yellow warning, which extends as far south as Edinburgh, starts from 6pm on Thursday and lasts until 2pm on Friday.
Storm Abigail the first to be named by the Met Office is expected to blast the country with gusts of up to 90mph.
Those in less exposed areas can expect peak winds of up to 70mph.
The forecasting agency is also predicting lightning and said the poor conditions could lead to power cuts.
Emma Sharpels of the Met Office said: “Disruption to travel is a possibility and in the area of the amber warning there could be disruption to power sources.”
Ferry operator CalMac is warning that those planning on visiting the west coast could see their plans disrupted.
It is expected that waves could reach up to 11 metres, causing “treacherous” sailing conditions.
“There is clear warning that major weather-related disruption to ferry services on the Clyde and Hebrides routes is likely later this week, so I would urge people to factor this in when making travel plans,” said CalMac’s operations director Drew Collier.
“As always weather systems change very quickly so I’d urge the travelling public to check our website and social media feeds for the latest information.”