Snow, rain and wind weather warnings set to cause disruption across UK over New Year’s Eve
The Met Office has issued multiple weather warnings, with at least one alert affecting nearly all of the country
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Your support makes all the difference.A mixture of snow, rain and high winds is set to hit the UK, causing major disruption on New Year’s Eve and through most of next week.
The Met Office has issued multiple weather warnings between Monday and Thursday, with at least one alert affecting nearly all of the country.
Met Office chief forecaster Andy Page said the forecast for the upcoming week was “complicated” and urged people to check the forecast regularly in order to update their plans.
He said: “Almost the entire UK is covered by at least one weather warning during the coming week.
“With such a varied and complex weather situation, there is potential for the pattern of warnings to shift and possibly escalate in some areas.
“With lots of celebrations and people on the move over the coming days, we are urging everyone to keep checking the forecast so they can update their plans.”
Ahead of the new year celebrations, a warning for wind is in place on Monday where gusts of up to 60mph could impact travellers between 11am and 6pm in areas including Durham, Northumberland, Cumbria and North Yorkshire, the Met Office said.
In England and Northern Ireland, gusts of up to 70mph may lead to travel disruption on 31 December, with delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport all likely.
An alert for wind is in place from 7am until 11pm on Tuesday and covers most of Northern Ireland, including Londonderry, Tyrone, Antrim and Armagh, as well as just north of York in England up to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Greenock.
Heavy downpours and snowfall may cause “significant disruption” across northern Scotland, with up to 140mm of rainfall on Monday and Tuesday.
Up to 20cm of snow may blanket areas of higher ground while strong winds have the potential to “exacerbate impacts”, creating “blizzard conditions” which could freeze power lines.
A warning has also been issued for “persistent snow” likely to cause road disruption in Orkney and Shetland from 5am onwards on Tuesday.
The new year will be off to a turbulent start with separate weather warnings in place for snow, wind and rain on 1 January.
The worst-affected areas could be covered in up to 25cm of snow, including Central Tayside and Fife, the East Midlands, northern England and the Lothian borders.
Very strong winds of up to 60mph are forecast across the whole of England and Wales all day Wednesday and into Thursday morning, with gusts of 75mph likely around coastal areas and hills, according to the Met Office.
The alert for wind is in place from 9am on Wednesday until 6am on Thursday.
Those hoping to travel on New Year’s Day should check road conditions and public transport updates before embarking on their journeys.
Residents should prepare by checking for loose items outside their homes and planning how to secure them, the forecaster warned.
In Wales, the new year will be off to a soggy start as the majority of the country is likely to be drenched by up to 60mm of rain causing delays for road transport, potential power cuts and flooding.
This comes after thick fog descended on the UK for several days, causing travel disruption at some of the country’s busiest airports.
Saturday’s flights at Stansted Airport were affected by the murky conditions, while live departure boards showed delays at Heathrow, Luton, Gatwick and Manchester Airports.
Gatwick Airport is still experiencing major delays on the busiest day of the holiday period.
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