Met Office issues severe weather warning as New Year’s revellers face galeforce winds

A yellow weather warning for severe winds and rain has been issued for the south of England

Partygoers keen to ring in the New Year look to be facing erratic weather conditions across the country, with severe winds and rain due to lash down on the UK.

The Met Office has warned that travellers may face difficulties, with hundreds of train services across the country impacted and delays expected.

This comes after a windy night across much of southern England and parts of Wales, with a tornado warning in place until 6am on Sunday as the bad weather continues in the wake of Storm Gerritt.

While temperatures are expected to be nearer to normal on New Year’s Eve, the Met Office has warned there will be plenty of showers around with overnight rain still clearing in eastern areas.

People kite and windsurf on Avon Beach as windy weather hits UK. (PA)

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

Scattered, blustery showers are expected to develop throughout the day, possibly thundery along southern coasts, but some brighter spells are possible between showers.

Strong winds are expected in London for New Year’s Eve celebrations although it is expected to stay dry and around 8C. Showers are possible across much of the country throughout the evening

The yellow weather warning spans from south-west Wales to Cornwall and Devon, with forecasters warning of severe gales and heavy showers that may lead to disruption to transport services.

Other potential effects could include power loss, delays to ferry and rail services and coastal communities being affected by large waves.

This comes after an alert was issued yesterday by the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation for a large region of the UK, with warnings of lightning, hail and winds between 60mph and 70mph.

The private research group warned of a risk of isolated tornados in Wales, the Midlands, East Anglia, southern England and the Channel Islands, which was due to last until 6am on New Year’s Eve.

The severe weather could be named Storm Henk - the next name for the storm recorded by the Met Office - and it follows Storm Gerritt which resulted in a tornado in Greater Manchester, causing damage to 100 properties.

As a result of Saturday’s bad weather, which saw heavy winds and rain batter the UK, several rail services were cancelled while certain lines were forced to close.

Trains between Swansea and Shrewsbury had been cancelled due to flooding, while there were no services in or out of Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, for almost the whole of Saturday.

The first Eurostar train left London St Pancras on Sunday morning after flooding in a tunnel at Ebbsfleet saw all 41 services cancelled, causing a backlog of 30,000 plus passengers who were left stranded in London or Continental Europe.

The operator has confirmed that they will not be running any extra trains today while dozens of Southeastern high-speed trains between St Pancras and Kent have been cancelled to thin out the demand for the single bore of the Thames tunnel that is currently open.