Strong wind warning as Christmas getaway continues

Weather warnings for beardown winds are acceptable to travel into unit successful parts of the UK connected Saturday greeting arsenic millions of radical question connected the roads up of Christmas.

The Met Office says gusts could scope 50-60mph and disruption is expected connected what motoring experts are predicting volition the busiest play of motoring this year.

The yellowish informing is successful spot from 07:00 GMT connected Saturday to 21:00 GMT connected Sunday for Scotland, North West and North East England, and parts of Wales and Northern Ireland.

The area covered by the informing widens connected Sunday to instrumentality successful South West England, Derbyshire, Hampshire, parts of the West Midlands and Yorkshire, and each of Wales and Northern Ireland.

Westerly winds are forecast to prime up implicit Saturday.

Forecasters accidental determination was a tiny accidental of gusts reaching 80mph successful the acold northbound of Scotland and Orkney and Shetland connected Saturday day and evening.

"Dangerous coastal conditions tin beryllium expected too, with ample waves an further hazard," the Met Office added.

Transport Scotland, said road, rail, aerial and ferry services are "all apt to beryllium affected by the conditions" with cancellations and restrictions connected bridges possible.

RAC spokesperson Rod Dennis said: "With the play bringing a premix of beardown winds on with heavy, and successful immoderate places wintry, showers, it's going to marque galore of the estimated 7 cardinal getaway trips by car a beauteous exhausting experience."

When non-leisure postulation is taken into account, astir 14 cardinal drivers are expected to instrumentality to roadworthy during the play - a caller record, according to the RAC.

The winds are expected to easiness by Monday, but a achromatic Christmas is looking improbable with unreality and rainfall expected to determination in.

"Crisp bluish skies and snowfall connected the ground" are "decidedly unlikely" implicit Christmas, the Met Office said.

Christmas Day itself "will beryllium a reasonably cloudy, nondescript day", Met Office lawman main meteorologist Rebekah Hicks added.