Weather warnings issued as Christmas getaway begins
Roads and public transport could be disrupted by strong winds over the weekend.
Weather warnings have been issued for parts of the UK as the Christmas getaway begins.
Roads and public transport could be disrupted by strong winds as people travel across the country for the festive period, the Met Office said, adding it will be a “wet and windy weekend for many”.
Millions of journeys are expected to be made across the country by car, in what the RAC breakdown service said could be a “pretty exhausting experience” for travellers due to the conditions.
Sunday’s warning will also include London, the South East and South West, the East and West Midlands, Yorkshire and all of Wales and Northern Ireland.
Westerly winds are forecast to pick up over Saturday with 50-60mph gusts expected, with a small chance of some reaching 80mph.
The strong winds will be more widespread on Sunday, meteorologists said, but the weather will be “exceptionally mild” by Christmas Day.
The Met Office said: “The strongest winds are expected across the far north of Scotland on Saturday afternoon and evening, with the potential for gusts in excess of 80mph in coastal districts including Orkney.
“Dangerous coastal conditions can be expected too, with large waves an additional hazard, especially in respect to causeways. This period of strong winds may lead to some transport disruption, including ferry delays or cancellations.
“Frequent blustery showers will also be a feature on Saturday and may merge into a longer spell of rain for a time in the far north and north-west.
Showers could turn to several centimetres of snow on the hills in the north-west of Scotland from Saturday evening into Sunday.
The RAC has estimated seven million leisure trips will be made on major roads during the coming weekend, which excludes everyday traffic.
It has predicted the hotspots will be on both directions of the M1 to Gatwick via M25 and M23; Liverpool to Chester on the M53; Oxford to the south coast via the A34 and M3; the M25 to the south coast along the M3; and at the Taunton to Almondsbury Interchange in Bristol heading down the M5.
RAC spokesperson Rod Dennis urged caution, saying: “With the weekend bringing a mix of strong winds along with heavy, and in some places wintry, showers, it’s going to make many of the estimated seven million getaway trips by car a pretty exhausting experience.”
Meanwhile, the AA expects about 20 million car journeys to take place on both Saturday and Sunday, taking into account standard trips such as work, unlike the RAC figures.
Friday is expected to be busiest with 23.7 million drivers projected to hit the road, the AA found in a November survey. It issued several amber traffic warnings as a result, meaning congestion is forecast.
Douglas Cairns, from Transport Scotland, said road, rail, air and ferry services are “all likely to be affected by the conditions” with possible longer journey times, cancellations and restrictions on bridges.
Winds will ease by Monday but cloud and rain are expected to move in with increased temperatures.
As a result, “crisp blue skies and snow on the ground” are “decidedly unlikely” over Christmas, the Met Office said.
“Christmas Day itself will be cloudy for most, although some eastern areas of the UK, most likely eastern Scotland, may see some clear or sunny spells.
“We could see some drizzle across hills in the west, and some more persistent rain is possible for north-west Scotland, but overall it will be a fairly cloudy, non-descript day.
“Conditions on Christmas Day and Boxing Day look to be exceptionally mild for the time of year, especially in the north.
“East and north-east Scotland, for example, could see overnight temperatures that are 10C above average on Christmas morning.”
