Pre-Christmas travel disruption expected as 70mph gusts hit UK with yellow weather warning issued

Stormy weather with gusts of around 70mph are causing pre-Christmas travel disruption, affecting flights, trains and ferries.

A yellow warning for wind is in force until 9pm on Sunday across Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and most of England - with the storm covering an area west of Southampton, Birmingham and Newcastle.

Another yellow warning for ice, specifically covering an area of eastern Scotland, is in place from 9pm tonight until 10am on Monday morning.

The Met Office is forecasting a "prolonged period of strong winds" which is likely to cause "some disruption over the weekend, especially to travel".

"Dangerous coastal conditions can be expected too, with large waves an additional hazard," the warning said.

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Gusts of 50 to 60mph are being forecast widely across the UK, with the prospect of 70mph around some exposed coasts and hills, especially in the North and west.

Showers, hail, and thunder are also possible in places.

Several ferry services have been cancelled including with operators NorthLink and CalMac in Scotland. Other routes between the UK and Ireland are being disrupted - made worse by the temporary closure of the port at Holyhead.

Flights cancelled, trains disrupted

Heathrow Airport said around 100 flights had been cancelled on Sunday due to "strong winds and airspace restrictions" although the "vast majority" would operate as normal. A small number of flights were also cancelled on Saturday.

Belfast City Airport's runway was closed following an incident at around 4pm when an Aer Lingus regional flight, operated by Emerald Airlines, had an incident on landing.

The plane, which was being repositioned to the airport, had four crew members and no passengers onboard at the time.

A spokesperson for Emerald Airlines said: "An Emerald Airlines positioning flight, EA701P, with no passengers on board, flying from Edinburgh to Belfast City Airport experienced a hard landing upon arriving into Belfast City Airport due to adverse weather conditions."

National Rail has warned the bad weather could lead to possible disruption to journeys across Scotland, Wales and England.

ScotRail says some routes have speed restrictions and services may be cancelled, revised, or delayed by up to 30 minutes. Disruption is expected to continue until 9pm.

A road replacement service is also operating on Great Western between Exeter Central and Okehampton/Barnstaple until around 6pm.

Separately a shortage of staff is causing "higher than normal levels of cancellations" on Northern.

Earlier on Sunday, trains to Gatwick Airport and Stansted Airport were affected by points failures, which have now been fixed.

Gales and wintry weather

"Early this morning Cumbria saw gusts of 76mph. It'll be windy outside of the warning area too with eastern coasts likely to see winds of 40 to 50mph," said Sky News weather presenter Jo Wheeler.

"The blustery showers we've seen today are typical of those associated with a low-pressure system and some have turned wintry over the higher ground of Wales and the North".

Various yellow warnings also apply to western counties of Ireland - with the last alert ending at 3pm on Sunday.

Met Eireann has issued wind warnings for "sustained strong and gusty westerly winds" in Clare, Kerry, Limerick, Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo.

There is also the chance of hail, sleet and snow for Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Leitrim and Louth.

On Saturday, a gust of 82mph was recorded in South Uist in the Western Isles and Kirkwall in Orkney, coinciding with a now-expired yellow warning.

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The AA predicted 21.3 million drivers will hit the road on Sunday, slightly fewer than figures expected on Friday and Saturday.

Meanwhile, the RAC estimated seven million leisure trips would be made during the weekend, which excludes everyday traffic.

Will Santa see snow?

Commenting on the forecast ahead, Jo Wheeler said: "It'll be all change on Monday though as high-pressure builds, bringing more settled conditions along with temperatures several degrees above average for the time of year.

"Christmas Day looks a little drier and brighter but still very mild, which will be great for those travelling to see family and friends but not so good for Santa and his sleigh.

"It's a long way off and subject to change, but there's a signal for something colder and more unsettled as we head toward New Year."