Conditions are expected to improve after a “perfect storm” of adverse weather conditions and road congestion led to widespread disruption during the Christmas getaway
Travel chaos hit the UK as lousy weather wreaked havoc during one of the major weekends for transport during the festive season, but there is hope for improvements this week, though anyone hoping for a white Christmas is likely to be sadly disappointed.
The Met Office has predicted a “grey Christmas” with occasional sunny spells and “extremely mild” temperatures, ending the spate of disruption seen in the Christmas rush, as well as the likelihood of snow falling on the big day. But after a weekend of gale-force winds and chaos across the UK’s transport network, some will no doubt welcome a change in the atmosphere.
A combination of dreadful weather and traffic issues led to a “perfect storm” of delays and cancellations. The Met Office issued yellow wind warnings across parts of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and various regions in England, including the North East, North West, South West, and West Midlands, along with Yorkshire, Derbyshire, and Hampshire, that lasted until 9pm on Sunday.
Also, a fresh ice warning painted the north-east of Scotland in yellow, active from 9 pm Sunday until 10 am on Monday morning. Meanwhile, an incident at Belfast City Airport spurred emergency actions when a plane met a “hard landing” collapsing its nose wheel—fortunately with only four crew members and no passengers aboard.
This event shut down the runway, though operations were expected to flutter back to normal on Monday. Amidst these upheavals, Heathrow Airport had about 100 flights grounded on Sunday, urging passengers to double-check with their airlines before setting off.
A Heathrow spokesperson commented on the disruptions: “Due to strong winds and airspace restrictions, a small number of flights have been cancelled (on Sunday). This will ensure the vast majority of passengers can still travel as planned.”
The official added, “We know how important travel at this time of year is and have extra colleagues on hand in our terminals to support people on their journeys. We encourage passengers to check with their airline for the latest information about their flight.”
Despite the cancellations, Heathrow Airport stressed that most services were running smoothly. Ripples of disturbance spread across Scotland where Loganair scrapped several flights from Glasgow Airport to the Hebrides due to adverse weather, and CalMac confirmed 18 ferry routes had been suspended.
Met Office meteorologist Dan Stroud said: “We’re expecting to see some sunny spells further east and a lot of cloud from the west.
“Temperatures should rise considerably and it will be extremely mild over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
“In England and Wales, temperatures will be well above average with some grey in the mix.
“We’re expecting an average of around 12C or 13C on Christmas Eve and 11C or 12C on Christmas Day. The usual average for this time of year is 7C or 8C so we’ll be around double where we usually are.
“Overnight temperatures in Scotland for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day will be extremely mild.”
The weekend also saw disrupted travel to Ireland from Holyhead port after its temporary shutdown, according to a Welsh Cabinet Secretary, as travellers sought alternative passages amidst Storm Darragh’s aftermath. The Anglesey-based port isn’t expected to reopen until January 15 at the earliest, leaving all Dublin-Holyhead ferry services currently suspended during this critical festive period.
Motorists have been bracing for a jam-packed weekend on the UK’s roads with the AA predicting a staggering 21.3 million drivers would be hitting the road on Sunday after an expected 22.7 million on Saturday, and the highest record of 23.7 million on Friday since the group began keeping tabs in 2010.
