UK weather: New Year's Day wind and rain horror as millions warned of power cuts and travel chaos
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A New Year's washout is looming as millions of Brits face power cuts and travel chaos on January 1. Britain's national weather agency, the Met Office, has issued a number of severe weather warnings for Brits to heed ahead of Tuesday's New Year's Eve celebrations. Organisers of Edinburgh's hugely popular Hogmanay festival - which draws in tens of thousands of revellers each year - have been forced to cancel the celebrations, citing safety fears over incoming high winds, which could reach 70mph.
Most of Scotland, including the capital and Glasgow, are under yellow warnings for rain nad snow until midnight on December 31. The forecaster predicts that as much as 5.5inches of rain could fall on Monday and Tuesday, with 7.8 inches of snow blanketing higher altitudes.
But Scotland is not alone as the weather warning extends all the way south to Newcastle and Carlisle. These warnings will remain in place until 11pm on New Year's Eve. People in affected areas have been warned of delays to travel. Manchester, Liverpool, Stoke, and huge swathes of Wales are also under yellow warnings for rain until Tuesday at 6pm, with torrential downpours forecast to bring as much as 100mm of rain to parts of Wales, according to the Met Office, which added that "power cuts" and "flooding" could also be an issue. Flooding and power cuts are also expected in Northern Ireland, where another yellow warning, this time for 65mph winds, is also in place until 2pm on New Year's Eve.
