Christmas getaway chaos as brutal 75mph winds forecast in UK weather warnings
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Brits are being told to face possible Christmas getaway delays as the UK prepares to be battered by strong winds of up to 75mph. On Sunday, Heathrow Airport announced it had to cancel around 100 flights due to the weather, while some people abroad were left stranded in Portugal after EasyJet flights between Maderia and London Gatwick were also called off. As a result, passengers were left scrambling to find an alternative method home.
A yellow warning from the Met Office came into force at around 7am on Saturday and is expected to last a few more hours until 9pm on Sunday evening. Warnings remain in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and in England the warnings cover the North East, North West, South West and West Midlands as well as Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Hampshire.
A Heathrow spokesman explained: “Due to strong winds and airspace restrictions, a small number of flights have been cancelled today. This will ensure the vast majority of passengers can still travel as planned. We know how important travel at this time of year is and have extra colleagues on hand in our terminals to support people on their journeys. We encourage passengers to check with their airline for the latest information about their flight.”.
Dan Stroud, a meteorologist from the Met Office, added: "There will continue to be more challenging travel conditions, with coastal areas seeing around 50 to 60mph winds. Extremely exposed coastal areas could see up to 70 or 75mph and parts of the west are expected to see 40 or 50mph.
