Britain to be battered by 85mph gales in wet and windy start to Christmas getaway
Drivers and rail passengers have been warned of disruption as they make their festive journeys – while the chances of a white Christmas appear to be thin
The UK is set to be battered by gales of up to 85mph this weekend as the Met Office warned of widespread disruption for people embarking on their Christmas getaways .
Yellow wind warnings are in place for the majority of this weekend, with Scotland, Northern Ireland, north Wales, and north-west England expected to be hit the hardest between 7am and midnight on Saturday.
Fierce gusts and heavy rain are forecast to stretch down to cover all of western England until 9pm on Sunday.
Winds of up to 85mph could hit coastal areas across northern Scotland on Saturday afternoon and evening, with more widespread gusts of 50-60mph on Sunday.
Those travelling during the last weekend before Christmas are warned to expect delays. Road, rail, air and ferry services in Scotland are expected to be worst affected, Transport Scotland has warned.
Rebekah Hicks, Met Office deputy chief meteorologist, said: “This period of disruptive weather coincides with a busy period on UK roads as the festive getaway starts for many.
“The area of low pressure will bring rain and strong winds on Saturday, with a chance of significant disruption especially to transport networks across the north, including the potential for ferry cancellations.
“The strongest winds are expected across northern Scotland on Saturday afternoon and evening, with the potential for gusts of 80 to 85mph in coastal districts.
“The strong winds will be more widespread on Sunday with gusts of 50-60 mph across much of northern, central and western UK, locally higher for coasts and across high ground.”
It comes after drivers were urged not to travel on major routes for six hours on both Friday and Saturday to avoid the worst Christmas holiday traffic.
The RAC and transport analytics company Inrix said roads are likely to be busiest between 1pm and 7pm on those days.
Hotspots where queues are expected include the M3 between its junction with the M25 and the south coast, the M25 anticlockwise between its junctions with the M1 and the M23, and the M53 from Chester to Liverpool.
The Met Office said the fierce gales are expected to ease at the start of the next week, but further heavy rain will continue from Monday night.
For those hoping for a white Christmas, the conditions are looking unlikely across the UK, forecasters have said.
Christmas Eve is expected to be a mild, blustery day with further rain or drizzle at times in the west and some sunny spells in the east.
Christmas Day is then expected to remain settled, mostly cloudy and dry, Strong winds and spells of rain are likely in the far north. Temperatures are expected to be mild again, with very little chance of a white Christmas anywhere in the country.
