Several major cities across the UK face Met Office weather warnings on New Year’s Eve with snow and heavy rain expected – and weather maps suggest more snow is to follow
The Met Office has issued several weather warnings across major UK cities ahead of Tuesday’s New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Those heading to the fireworks in London will be glad to hear there are no weather warnings in place there at the moment. The Met Office says “mostly cloudy and rather windy conditions” are expected with some “brighter breaks likely at times”. Temperatures are expected to peak at 11C.
The picture is less rosy for those celebrating in Scotland. Most of the country – including Edinburgh and Glasgow – will be under a yellow warning for rain and snow until midnight. The Met Office says as much as 140mm of rain could fall across Monday and Tuesday, with as much as 20cm of snow accumulating on higher ground.
Edinburgh and Glasgow also fall under a yellow wind warning, which stretches to cover Newcastle and Carlisle too. It is in place until 11pm on New Year’s Eve, with the Met Office warning of gusts up to 70mph. People have been told to expect transport delays.
A rare amber warning for rain has been issued across a small chunk of northern Scotland, including Inverness and Fort William. It will come into force at midnight on Monday, lasting until 5pm on New Year’s Eve. The Met Office says 70mm of rain could come down during that period.
People celebrating in Manchester, Liverpool, Stoke and across a massive chunk of Wales have been issued a yellow rain warning, in place until 6pm on Tuesday. As much as 100mm of rain could fall in North Wales, the Met Office says. The warning says “power cuts” and “flooding” could be problems.
The final yellow warning in place covers Northern Ireland, where wind gusts up to 65mph are on the cards. It lasts until 2pm on New Year’s Eve and, again, travel delays and short term power cuts are possible.
Conditions look likely to worsen on New Year’s Day as advanced weather modelling maps show a huge wall of snow moving down the country. WXCharts data suggests snow could be falling at a rate of around 5cm per hour in northern parts of England and Wales, with the white stuff expected to settle on the ground everywhere apart from in East Anglia and southern England.
