UK to kick off 2024 with blustery showers and gale force winds

Bad weather set to dampen New Year’s eve celebrations as travel chaos continues

The United Kingdom braces itself for a tumultuous start to 2024, marked by blustery showers, gale-force winds, and continued travel disruptions.

The Met Office’s weather forecast sets the stage for a rollercoaster ride of weather phenomena, as people can face damp fireworks displays.

Southern England and parts of Wales will continue to bear the brunt of windy weather, while Scotland is likely to see icy conditions develop.

A yellow weather warning is in place on Sunday, the last day of 2023, for “gales or severe gales in association with heavy showers,” which may lead to disruption to transport and infrastructure.

The warning comes into effect at 10am and stays in place till midnight as people countdown to the start of 2024.

An area of low pressure crossing England and Wales from the west is responsible for this unsettled weather, according to the Met Office.

This comes as the UK continues to reel in the aftermath of Storm Gerrit.

Flooding in the Thames tunnel has already led to travel chaos with Eurostar cancelling its services, leaving people in tears who have lost out on Disneyland trips. Devastated holidaymakers said their New Year plans have been “ruined” by the cancellations.

In a statement, Eurostar said: “Flooding in the Thames tunnels has been brought under control by Network Rail High Speed, meaning at least one tunnel can now be used and a full service can operate.

“There will be some speed restrictions in place in the morning which may lead to delays and stations are expected to be very busy.

But even after Eurostar operations resumed, travellers have been warned could be delays due to speed restrictions, staff shortages and bad weather.

Two operators, Northern Rail and LNER have warned of “significant” disruption on Sunday due to train crew unavailability. Services will finish earlier than usual, at around 4pm, and are expected to be “extremely busy”.

Weather forecast for Monday

The weather and travel chaos is set to continue on Monday. While the day is expected to start bright in some places, the Met Office warns, there will be plenty of showers around with overnight rain still clearing in eastern areas.

In London and the south, winds are expected to strengthen with the strongest winds along the coasts.

While the south enjoys mild temperatures, the rest of the country will see settle for averages – a classic start to the year.