The Met Office has issued multiple weather warnings between Monday and Thursday, with nearly all of the country impacted by at least one alert.
Ahead of new year celebrations, 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.
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, the forecaster has warned.
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.
For those celebrating Hogmanay, heavy downpours and snowfall may cause “significant disruption” across northern Scotland, with up to 140mm 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 powerlines.
It will be an unsettled week ahead with a series of low pressure systems moving across the country.
These will bring the risk of heavy rain, strong winds and some snow.
Warnings have been issued so please stay #weatheraware if you have plans over the New Year/Hogmanay period ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/CoE5VkS6tw
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 29, 2024
A warning has also been issued for “persistent snow” likely to cause road disruption in Orkney and Shetland from 5am onwards on Tuesday.
The new year will be off to a turbulent start with separate weather warnings in place for snow, wind and rain on January 1.
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.
Very strong 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.
The alert for wind is in place from 9am on Wednesday until 6am on Thursday.
Residents should prepare by checking for loose items outside their homes and planning how to secure them, the forecaster warned.
Those hoping to travel on New Year’s Day should check road conditions and public transport updates before embarking on their journeys.
We will see several spells of strong winds over the coming days.
Northern areas are likely to see the strongest winds on Monday and New Year’s Eve, with central and southern areas seeing the strongest winds on New Year’s Day ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/SVaNl1VFPe
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 29, 2024
In Wales, the new year will be off to a soggy start as the majority of the country is likely to be drenched by up to 60mm of rain causing delays for road transport, potential power cuts and flooding.
Met Office chief forecaster Andy Page said the forecast for the upcoming week was “complicated” and 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.”
This comes after thick fog descended on the UK for several days, causing travel disruption at some of the country’s busiest airports.
