New Year weather forecast: Yellow warnings of snow, wind and rain across UK for weekend, says Met Office

The UK could be hit by winds of up to 75mph and temperatures as low as -9C, or possibly even colder, over New Year's weekend, according to the Met Office.

People are being warned that this may cause loss of power, travel delays and public transport cancellations. Eurostar and Southeastern train services have already been cancelled because of a flooded tunnel in Kent, preventing many people from making journeys ahead of the New Year.

In addition, parts of the country will also see snow and heavy rain, leading to the Met Office issuing yellow warnings for wind, snow and rain which are in place today (Saturday December 30) and tomorrow (Sunday December 31).

Windy conditions will sweep across the UK on Saturday, according to the Met Office, and meteorologist Alex Burkill said northern areas of Scotland are likely to see “significant snow”, with possibly 10 to 20cm on the highest ground.

A yellow weather warning for rain and snow is in place for much of Scotland today. The warning is in place until midnight on Saturday, with up to 25mm of rain forecast at lower levels. A period of sleet and snow, turning to rain, may lead to some flooding and travel disruption.

The Met Office has also issued a yellow warning for rain across parts of Northern Ireland, with 15 to 25mm of rain falling in a few hours.

In a forecast video, Burkill said “a touch of frost is likely” overnight into Saturday and there is a deep area of low pressure waiting out in the Atlantic that is going to sweep its way across the UK this weekend. He said: “Towards the far east of Scotland, particularly Shetland, it is going to be a windy picture with frequent showers.”

Some frost is “possible” in the south, particularly towards the east, while “a more widespread harsh frost” is expected in some parts of Scotland. Temperatures could tumble “as low as minus 8C or minus 9, perhaps a little bit colder than that,” he added.

Some heavy rain is also likely across the west of Northern Ireland on Saturday morning before wet and windy conditions push east and north eastwards.

Burkill added: “As that rain hits the cold air across Scotland, I am expecting some significant snow, particularly over higher ground we could see in excess of 10cm of snow lying and, even to lower levels, some slushy snow is possible. This could cause some problems particularly on the roads.

“Elsewhere it is the rain and the strong winds we need to watch out for. Heavy rain across parts of Wales and strong gales likely around southern, south-western coastal parts in particular – so a pretty unsettled day.”

Burkill said: “In the south it is going to be relatively mild with highs of around 11C or 12C but with the wind, the rain and the cloud it will be feeling feel pretty unpleasant at times and colder further north, with temperatures here suppressed into mid-single figures.

“Later on Saturday we are going to see the rain and the snow across Scotland, or at least the worst of it, clearing away towards the north east and also that band of rain further south pushing eastwards across parts of England could still be pretty heavy at times – so watch out for that.”

The fresh warnings come a few days after wind chaos caused by Storm Gerrit. Hundreds of homes in Scotland were without power as the post-storm clean-up began and thousands of properties in Ceredigion were also without power on Thursday (December 28) after lightning struck supplies in Wales.

A spell of strong and gusty winds is also set to hit London and the south east, the east and south west England along with parts of Wales on Saturday where there is a yellow warning for wind that runs through to New Year’s Eve on Sunday (December 31) at 3am.

There could be “gusts of 45-50 mph widely” but the strongest winds are “likely near coasts in the west and south, with 65 to 75 mph in places”, the warning states.

People are warned that some delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport are likely and some bus and train services will also be affected by the weather, with some journeys taking longer than planned.

It’s also likely that some coastal routes, sea fronts and coastal communities will be affected by spray and/or large waves. There may also be some short term loss of power.