Double weather warning issued as wind and rain pummel the UK, here’s how long it will last

The UK has faced some terrible conditions over the last few months, with stormy and snowy weather creating travel chaos over the festive period. The chilly weather is often thought to lead to people catching colds, though there is some debate on this matter.

As we make our way into 2024, it does not seem that conditions are improving much: large parts of the UK are expected to be hit with massive downpours and high winds in the course of the day.

The Met Office has issued two yellow weather warnings, one for the rain and one for the wind. Here’s what we know about the weather and its impact so far, and how long the bad conditions are set to last.

The impact of the bad weather

The weather today will be extremely wet - over half of January’s rain is expected to fall in just hours. The worst of the precipitation will hit over parts of Wales, the Midlands and eastern England and Yorkshire, according to forecasts.

Met Office meteorologist Jonathan Vautrey added:

At the moment it does look like a lot of that rain will push across the vast majority of England and Wales, turning widely wet once again throughout Tuesday.

Parts of south-eastern, eastern Scotland should hold on to some slightly brighter periods for the bank holiday but it is going to be very wet and windy once again for the Northern Isles, Orkney and Shetland.

As for the intensity of the wind, the Met Office predicts we could see gusts of up to 40 or 50mph in coastal areas. This, combined with the rain, is expected to cause some travel disruption.

How long the bad weather will last

The Met Office’s weather warnings are in place until 9pm today, Tuesday 2 January. Northern Rail is keeping travellers updated about cancellations, delays and changes to timetables on their X account, @northernassist. They are urging people to check their journey today before setting off.

At 8:30am, the company warned that:

Due to a tree blocking the railway between Manchester Piccadilly and Stockport some lines are blocked.

Network Rail engineers are on site and are trying to remove the tree with further updates to follow.

If you are affected, you should also check your ticket as:

Northern ticket holders have acceptance on:

Northern services between Bradford Interchange and Leeds.

Any ticket restrictions have been lifted during this disruption.

So far, there are no more weather warnings in place for the rest of the week. However, it is always a good idea to stay updated about the situation in your local area.

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Sources used:

Met Office

Mirror: UK weather: Maps show 400-mile wide Met Office weather warnings bringing 70mph wind