Weather warnings for wind have been issued across a large part of the UK as millions more people head off for their Christmas breaks.
The Met Office has predicted a wet and windy weekend, which could cause disruptions to roads and public transport due to strong gusts.
According to the AA, Friday is set to be the busiest day on the roads since records began in 2010, with an estimated 23.7 million drivers expected to hit the road. The group also projected that Saturday would see 22.7 million drivers and Sunday 21.3 million.
Yellow weather warnings have been announced by the Met Office for parts of the UK, with the RAC warning that travelling could be a “pretty exhausting experience” due to the conditions.
From 7am on Saturday to 9pm on Sunday, yellow warnings for wind are in place in the North West, the North East, Scotland, and parts of Wales and Northern Ireland.
Sunday’s warning also includes London, the South East, the South West, the East Midlands, the West Midlands, Yorkshire, and all of Wales and Northern Ireland.
Westerly winds are forecast to pick up over Saturday with gusts expected to reach between 50-60mph, and there’s a small chance some could even reach 80mph.
The Met Office stated: “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.”
Brits have been warned of treacherous coastal conditions, transport disruptions and icy roads as strong winds and wintry showers hit the UK this weekend.
The Met Office said: “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.”
It added that frequent blustery showers will be a feature on Saturday, with snow expected on the hills in the north west of Scotland from Saturday evening into Sunday.
Some sleet, snow and hail may fall at lower levels, producing icy conditions by Sunday morning, with strong winds becoming more widespread.
The RAC estimates that seven million leisure trips will be made on major roads during the weekend, with congestion hotspots predicted on several major motorways.
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “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.”
Motorists and travellers are being advised to brace for significant delays as the Christmas rush begins, with Mr Dennis from BBC Radio 4’s Today programme highlighting potential “crunch points” on Saturday morning. He warned: “Obviously there’s stretches of the northern part of the M25, part of the M4, the M5, a lot of routes people use for the sorts of journeys they’re going to make ahead of Christmas where they just can’t open all the lanes back up again. So, there’s those to bear in mind.”
He also urged patience, saying: “What we’re saying to people is just be patient. These are journeys that matter to us this time of year. Just don’t expect to get there the minute your sat-nav says it will. Allow yourself a bit of time to make it easy and get there safely.”
Douglas Cairns of Transport Scotland has warned that road, rail, air and ferry services are “all likely to be affected by the conditions” potentially leading to longer journey times, cancellations, and bridge restrictions.
The Isle of Man Steam Packet Company has cancelled its 7.45pm Saturday ferry service from Douglas to Heysham and the 2.15am Sunday service from Heysham to Douglas due to “forecast adverse weather”.
CalMac, which provides ferry services to Scotland’s west coast, has also indicated that disruptions and cancellations may impact all its services planned for Saturday.
While winds are expected to subside by Monday, the Met Office forecasts cloud and rain to follow, with rising temperatures making “crisp blue skies and snow on the ground” over Christmas “decidedly unlikely”.
Rebekah Hicks, Met Office deputy chief meteorologist, commented: “We’ll start to see high pressure to the south of the UK bringing in more settled and much milder conditions from Christmas Eve.”
“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, nondescript 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.”
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