UK weather: Monster 70mph gales forecast by Met Office to cause Christmas travel chaos

Brits face travel chaos on Christmas Eve as 70mph winds[1] will batter large parts of the country - and likely shut bridges and roads, and delay trains.

Yellow weather[2] warnings are in place for both today and tomorrow - Christmas[3] Eve - and the latter is for concerns around gales for large swathes of the UK. It'll make Christmas travel even more difficult, as the Met Office[4] says roads and bridges could close.

Road, rail, air and ferry services could be delayed or even cancelled in the affected regions, which include parts of the East Midlands, all of Northeast England, the tip of Northwest England and most of Yorkshire and Humberside. A yellow weather warning for wind is also in place for most of Central and Southern Scotland[5] throughout Sunday.

The latest blow comes after Brits have already encountered challenges getting away for Christmas, following motorway closures and train cancellations yesterday[6]. Unscheduled industrial action by French workers meant the Channel Tunnel rail link was closed yesterday, and this caused chaos at the port of Dover in Kent.

This Morning's Rochelle Humes swears by 'glowy' SPF that 'doesn't cause breakouts'[7] Passengers at St Pancras International station Passengers at St Pancras International station already faced delays this week ( PA)

Heavy rain is also likely to disrupt travel in north Wales and mid Wales throughout Sunday. Flooding is feared too, with up to 80mm of rain expected on higher ground in Powys and Gwynedd. The yellow weather warning concerning downpours for Wales will expire at 6pm tomorrow, what is expected to be the peak of the travel rush.

Writing on its website, the Met Office says: "The windy lead-up to Christmas continues, with a likely peak in westerly winds during Christmas Eve. At this stage wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph look like being widespread, with some areas seeing values closer to 60 mph, particularly over and to the lee (east) of the Pennines. Here there is the chance that a few locations could see potentially damaging gusts to around 70 mph. Drivers of high-sided vehicles in particular are likely to experience difficult travelling conditions.

Heavy winds are likely to make travelling treacherous in places Heavy winds are likely to make travelling treacherous in places ( PA)

"Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus and train timetables, amending your travel plans if necessary... Prepare to protect your property and people from injury. Check for loose items outside your home and plan how you could secure them. Items include; bins, garden furniture, trampolines, tents, sheds and fences.

"A band of rain will slowly move south across Wales on Saturday evening and through Sunday, probably clearing to the south later in the day on Sunday. 20-40 mm of rain may accumulate quite widely within the warning area, but west-facing high ground could see 60-80 mm of rain during this period. Strong and gusty winds will accompany the rainfall."

More than 16 million car journeys are expected to have been made across Saturday More than 16 million car journeys are expected to have been made across Saturday ( SWNS)

It's thought more than 16 million car journeys will have taken place by tonight alone. The Elizabeth line suffered severe delays on Friday afternoon between London Paddington, Reading and Heathrow Airport after two trains broke down.

There was disruption between Mansfield and Worksop in Nottinghamshire as well as between Birmingham New Street and Lichfield Trent Valley, caused by damage to the overhead electric wires in the Aston area of Birmingham. No LNER trains served Inverness on Friday morning.

The windiest Christmas Day itself in the UK was in 2011 when gales exceeded 100mph on the Shetland Islands, the Met Office says. Although it will be windy tomorrow, temperatures are expected to be mild across the country. The mercury could hit 14C across southern and eastern England, including across Greater London. Mild temperatures will continue on Christmas Day for many, though the thermometer is unlikely to exceed 15.2C - the hottest December 25, which was recorded in 2015.

References

  1. ^ winds (www.mirror.co.uk)
  2. ^ weather (www.mirror.co.uk)
  3. ^ Christmas (www.mirror.co.uk)
  4. ^ Met Office (www.mirror.co.uk)
  5. ^ Scotland (www.mirror.co.uk)
  6. ^ following motorway closures and train cancellations yesterday (www.mirror.co.uk)
  7. ^ This Morning's Rochelle Humes swears by 'glowy' SPF that 'doesn't cause breakouts' (www.mirror.co.uk)

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