Storm Babet: Edinburgh Castle and Princes Street Gardens close with 50mph winds set to batter Capital today

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for wind today with speeds reaching up to 50mph

Princes Street Gardens and Edinburgh Castle will remain closed today due to strong winds brought on by Storm Babet.

Edinburgh will experience high winds throughout the day, reaching speeds of 46mph by 10am before climbing to 51mph by 1pm. The Met Office say speeds of 29 mph or more are considered strong.

Edinburgh Castle announced its closure online and apologised for inconvenience caused and informed customers who bought tour tickets they will be automatically refunded. The City of Edinburgh Council also shared news about the closure of Princes Street Gardens and have placed warning signs on the gates to advise the public.

Edinburgh Castle and Princes Street Gardens will remain closed with high winds expected today

Heavy rain is expected for the first half of the day with an 80 to 90 per cent chance of rain between 10am and 2pm. The Met Office has forecast a period of lighter rain between 3pm and 7pm before the weather takes a turn for the worse, predicting a 90 per cent chance of rain from 6pm onwards.

The average wind speed today is approximately 46mph, reaching between 47mph and 51mph during 12pm to 2pm. Strong winds continue as the day goes on, with gusts nearing 50mph until 8pm when they reduce to between 44mph and 46mph.