Thousands of people in the UK are facing a Christmas travel nightmare after hundreds of flights and ferries were canceled due to strong winds.
Japan Meteorological Agency yellow weather warning Wind and rain continued from John O' Groats to Land's End until 9pm on Sunday, with widespread wind gusts of up to 90mph, with some winds reaching 110mph near hills and exposed beaches.
Kirkwall in Orkney and South Uist in the Outer Hebrides recorded the weekend's strongest wind gusts of 82mph.
More than 100 flights were canceled at Heathrow Airport and passengers were urged to check the situation before traveling. A spokesperson for the airport said: “We are fully aware that this is just before Christmas and this has had to be done purely for safety reasons.”
Most of the cancellations were on British Airways flights. The airline announced it would offer free flight changes to short-haul passengers who do not wish to travel over the weekend.
“While the majority of our customers will be traveling as planned, our teams are working hard to help those affected get their travel plans back on track at this critical time,” a spokesperson said.
Ferries between Northern Ireland and Scotland were canceled on Sunday, including P&O services between Larne and Cairniran and the Stena Line between Larne and Cairniran. Belfast and Cairnilan.
Stephen Donnelly, a 35-year-old marketing manager, traveled to Scotland from London but learned through social media that his plans to fly to Larne had been canceled on Saturday night.
“I haven't heard anything from P&O. I haven't received any emails or text messages or anything,” he said. “I was on the phone for about an hour and a half this morning, but I finally got through to someone.”
He said he had booked a hotel on Ayr and planned to take the 8pm service on Sunday.
The cancellation comes on top of the major problems caused by the closure of Holyhead on Anglesey, one of the UK's busiest ports, following damage caused by Storm Dollar two weeks ago. It was done. The port was scheduled to reopen on December 20th, but that date was moved to January 15th.
Calmac, which operates ferry services on the west coast of Scotland, announced on Sunday that 29 of its 30 routes were canceled or affected by disruptions.
Loganair flights from Glasgow to Barra, Lewis and Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides, and Islay and Tiree in the Inner Hebrides were canceled on Sunday.
The AA predicted there would be 21.3 million drivers on British roads on Sunday. The figure was slightly lower than the 23.7 million people on Friday, which was touted as the busiest day on the roads since the group's records began in 2010.
A spokesperson said: “If traffic congestion isn't enough of a headache, bad weather could create a perfect storm.” If you are going out, we recommend that you allow plenty of time to travel and increase your distance from other road users. ”
The RAC predicted congestion hotspots would be in both directions from the M1 towards Gatwick via the M25 and M23. Take the M53 from Liverpool to Chester. From Oxford, take the A34 and M3 to the south coast. From the M25, follow the M3 to the south coast. Exit the M5 at the Bristol Taunton to Almondsbury interchange.
great western railway I said the line The route between Crediton and Okehampton in Devon was closed on Sunday due to the weather.
No trains arrived at Stansted Airport in Essex on Sunday morning due to a points failure. JNR warns of 'massive disruption' until 11am.
Forecasters predict the winds will ease by Monday and the weather will become more stable by Christmas Eve.
The possibility of a white Christmas remains low. Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Rebecca Hicks said it would be a “very cloudy, nondescript day” for most people.
“Conditions on Christmas Day and Boxing Day look set to be exceptionally calm for this time of year, particularly in the north,” she said. “For example, overnight temperatures on Christmas morning could be 10 degrees warmer than average in eastern and north-east Scotland.”
