Met Office warn of ‘difficult’ climate that is going to trigger ‘large disruption’ on New Year’s

Most of the UK is going to have a weather warning in place as the year draws to a close and the Met Office is warning that there is going to be “massive disruption” on New Year’s Eve

The Met Office is warning of “complicated” weather that will cause major disruption on New Year’s Eve.

Massive winds of up to 60mph are forecast across the whole of England and Wales all day Wednesday and into Thursday morning, with gusts of 75mph likely around coastal areas and hills, according to the Met Office.

There are also warnings for snow and rain. Pretty much the whole country is going to be affected in one way or another. Met Office chief forecaster Andy Page said the forecast for the upcoming week was “complicated” due to the amount of different weather conditions. He has urged people to check the forecast regularly in order to update their plans.

He said: “Almost the entire UK is covered by at least one weather warning during the coming week.

“With such a varied and complex weather situation, there is potential for the pattern of warnings to shift and possibly escalate in some areas.

“With lots of celebrations and people on the move over the coming days, we are urging everyone to keep checking the forecast so they can update their plans.”

A warning for wind is in place on Monday where gusts of up to 60mph could impact travellers between 11am and 6pm in areas including Durham, Northumberland, Cumbria and North Yorkshire, the Met Office said.

In England and Northern Ireland, gusts of up to 70mph may lead to travel disruption on December 31, with delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport all likely.

An alert for wind is in place from 7am until 11pm on Tuesday and covers most of Northern Ireland, including Londonderry, Tyrone, Antrim and Armagh, as well as just north of York in England up to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Greenock.

There is also the warning for heavy downpours which will cause “significant disruption” across northern Scotland, with nearly half a foot of rainfall on Monday and Tuesday.

Up to 20cm of snow may blanket areas of higher ground while strong winds have the potential to “exacerbate impacts”, creating “blizzard conditions” which could freeze power lines.

A warning has also been issued for “persistent snow” likely to cause road disruption in Orkney and Shetland from 5am onwards on Tuesday.

The start of 2025 doesn’t look much brighter, with even more warnings in place for snow, wind and rain.

The worst-affected areas could be covered in up to 25cm of snow, including Central Tayside and Fife, the East Midlands, northern England and the Lothian borders.

Wales is also due to get a good soaking, with 60mm of rain expected to fall as the new year begins.

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