Fierce winds blown in by Storm Malik are expected to continue into the evening.
Gusts are predicted to top 60 miles per hour up and down the North East coast, where an Amber weather warning is in place from the Scottish Borders as far south as Peterlee.
A Yellow warning has been issued for Hartlepool, stretching beyond Middlesbrough to Scarborough.
A regional forecast from the Met Office has warned households and travellers to expect the worst of the weather across the Pennines, where rain is also expected.
In coastal areas, wind speeds are due to peak at about lunchtime, but will remain high through the night, before easing off into Sunday.
The low pressure system has been named Storm Malik by the Danish Meteorological Institute.
Denmark is in line for the brunt of the weather, but Scotland, Northern Ireland and parts of northern England are in its path as it makes its way to Scandinavia.
Met Office chief meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: “The impacts of Storm Malik are going to be greatest in Denmark on Sunday, but the track of the storm in the preceding hours means that the UK will be dealt a glancing blow as Malik moves eastwards on Saturday.
Huge waves generated by Storm Arwen, the last major storm to hit the region.
“For those in the north of the UK there will be high winds and rain on Saturday, with showers possibly turning wintry in the high ground in the north.
“The highest winds are expected in exposed coastal areas in the north and east of Scotland, but it will be a windy day for most.”
As the worst gust subside later today, a Yellow warning for wind is expected to remain in place for Scotland and Northern England throughout Sunday and Monday, with snow and rain also a possibility.
This is your hour-by-hour South Shields weather forecast for Saturday, January 29:
11am: Sunny with gusts of up to 59 mph, 10°C
12pm: Sunny with gusts of up to 62 mph, 10°C
1pm: Sunny with gusts of up to 59 mph, 10°C
2pm: Sunny with gusts of up to 55 mph, 9°C
3pm: Sunny with gusts of up to 51 mph, 8°C
4pm: Sunny with gusts of up to 48 mph, 8°C
5pm: gusts of up to 44 mph, 7°C
6pm: gusts of up to 40 mph, 6°C
7pm: gusts of up to 36 mph, 6°C
8pm: gusts of up to 32 mph, 6°C
9pm: gusts of up to 30 mph, 5°C
10pm: gusts of up to 30 mph, 5°C
11pm: gusts of up to 28 mph, 5°C
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