UK braces for travel delays amid snow, wind and rain warnings for new year

Almost every part of the country is covered by at least one of the multiple weather warnings that have been issued by the Met Office between Monday and Thursday.

Scotland will be hit first by the turbulent weather, with “pulses of rain” and snow on Monday, meanwhile, northern England will be battered by blustery conditions, including gusts of up to 60mph, according to the forecaster.

A weather warning is in place on Monday where strong winds could impact travellers between 11am and 6pm in areas including Durham, Northumberland, Cumbria and North Yorkshire.

In southern England and Wales, highs of 10 to 12C are expected along with a calmer day overall, including “glimmers of sunshine”, the weather service said.

On New Year’s Eve, delays to all types of transport are “likely” as strong winds persist and may reach speeds of up to 70mph in England and Northern Ireland, the forecaster warned.

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.

For those celebrating Hogmanay, 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 powerlines.

Another warning has been issued for “persistent snow” likely to cause road disruption in Orkney and Shetland from 5am onwards on Tuesday.

Senior Met Office forecaster Craig Snell said: “Moving into New Year’s Eve, another system moves in from the Atlantic, again, Scotland bearing the brunt of this one with some further heavy rain and snow and strong winds.

“The winds also picking up for Northern Ireland and northern England through New Year’s Eve as well, with rain arriving into that part of the world – basically quite an unsettled last day of the year for the northern half of the UK.”

“To the south, we will see some rain later on New Year’s Eve, but it shouldn’t cause too many problems, apart from if you’re out celebrating – you might get a bit damp.”

He added: “The main bit of advice from the Met Office over the coming days is, with the celebrations and people on the move throughout the new year and Hogmanay period, is the keep checking the forecast and to stay up to date with that.”

Those with travel plans should allow extra time for journeys and keep updated with flood alerts and warnings, Mr Snell said.

“With the multiple hazards going on across the UK, I think we can probably expect some travel delays right across the UK,” he added.

The A66 in Cumbria has reopened to high-sided vehicles after being closed for several hours due to strong winds while CalMac Ferries said services on the west coast of Scotland were cancelled or at risk of disruption.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company said it was monitoring conditions and sailings between Douglas and Heysham were at risk or disruption.

The new year will be off to a turbulent start with separate weather warnings in place for snow, wind and rain on January 1.

Up to 25cm of snow could fall in the worst affected areas, 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.

Residents should prepare by checking for loose items outside their homes and planning how to secure them, the Met Office warned.

Temperatures on New Year’s Day are expected to reach between 10 to 12C in southern England with chillier conditions of around 5 to 7C further north.

The remainder of the week will be much colder, with widespread frost across the country predicted on Thursday night, the forecaster added.