A YELLOW alert for strong winds has been issued for the South of Scotland could affect Helensburgh and Lomond.

The Met Office has warned that the local area could face gusts of up to 60mph between 1am on Thursday, August 22 and around 9am.

It follows a flood alert warning from the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) which was put in place earlier today.

READ MORE: Flood alert issued by SEPA for Helensburgh and Lomond

The latest warning comes drivers are warned that traffic along the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful will be diverted due to a weather warning for heavy rain.

A Met Office yellow alert is in place for heavy rainfall across most of Argyll and Bute until 10pm on Thursday, August 22.

In response to the forecast, road maintenance firm BEAR Scotland will be diverting traffic at the Rest and Be Thankful onto the Old Military Road (OMR) from 7pm on Wednesday as a precautionary measure.

READ NEXT: Rest and Be Thankful A83 traffic faces disruption due to weather

A Met Office spokesperson said: "A spell of very strong southwesterly winds will occur during the early hours of Thursday, easing from the west during the morning.

"Gusts of 50 mph are likely fairly widely with some gusts of 60 mph in exposed locations, including roads passing over high ground in northern England and southern Scotland.

"These gusts will be strong enough to blow over a few trees, given that they are currently in full leaf.

"Some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely.

"It’s likely that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities will be affected by spray and/or large waves.

"There will probably be some bus and train services affected, with some journeys taking longer.

"Some short term loss of power and other services is possible and delays for high-sided vehicles on exposed routes and bridges likely."