A new amber warning for heavy rain has been issued for parts of England this evening, as wet and windy weather elsewhere in the country forced the cancellation of New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Outdoor events planned for 31 December as part of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay will not take place, and events on the 30th were also cancelled.
A spokesperson said events in the city centre of the Scottish capital, including fireworks from the castle, are unable to go ahead “on the grounds of public safety” due to “high winds and inclement weather”.
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Meanwhile, organisers of a planned fireworks display in Blackpool said it has also been cancelled due to the weather.
Visit Blackpool said only the pyrotechnics have been affected, with the rest of the New Year’s Eve Family Party to continue as planned, including free ice skating and a projection light show.
More bad news came on Tuesday evening when the Met Office issued an amber warning for rain over an area from Preston to Bradford. It is in place as of 8.38pm on Tuesday evening until 9am on Wednesday morning.
“Persistent and, at times heavy, rain will continue overnight before clearing southwards on Wednesday morning,” the forecaster said.
“40-50mm rain is expected fairly widely, with 50-100mm across west-facing hills. There is a chance a few locations could see in excess of 100mm.”
Almost every part of the UK is covered by at least one of multiple Met Office weather warnings over the course of Tuesday and Wednesday.
Another fireworks event in Ripon, North Yorkshire, also succumbed to the weather, with the council posting on Facebook that the event planned to take place in the city’s Market Square could not go ahead due to high winds.
While a homemade boat race in Poole in Dorset, a sea dip in Lyme Regis in the same south coast county, as well as fireworks displays on the Isle of Wight and on Newcastle’s Quayside, were all cancelled on Tuesday morning.
Although London’s City Hall had said it was “monitoring the weather”, mayor Sadiq Khan this evening reassured visitors the fireworks would go ahead.
London mayor Sir Sadiq told the PA news agency: “I’m really excited about the London New Year’s Eve fireworks, the biggest fireworks taking place anywhere across Europe.
“Hundreds of thousands of fireworks, great light display but also a great soundtrack tonight as well.”
Rain, wind and snow warnings
Three separate weather warnings currently cover Scotland alone for Tuesday evening, including a yellow warning for “persistent snow” over Shetland and Orkney, a yellow warning for rain and snow in the north, which could bring possible blizzard conditions, especially over high ground in Sutherland and Caithness.
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A yellow warning for wind spans from Glasgow to Edinburgh, and the Met Office has warned of possible delays to road, rail, air and ferry transport.
Train operator ScotRail warned its services were being disrupted by speed restrictions due to “very heavy rainfall”.
At least 11 lines have been affected, according to the ScotRail website, and 18 trains were cancelled on Tuesday morning.
Network Rail said it closed the Highland Main Line at Kingussie because of “more extreme rainfall overnight”.
‘Tricky couple of days’
As the clock strikes midnight in the UK, separate warnings for wind and rain are in place for Wednesday.
Strong winds are forecast across much of England and Wales until 3pm on 1 January, with gusts of 75mph likely around coastal areas and hills, according to the Met Office.
The period from Thursday to Saturday is expected to be a “widely cold but sunny few days, with wintry showers mainly confined to coastal areas.
“Northern areas may see patchy rain, sleet and snow move in on Saturday.”.
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Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell said: “It will be a tricky couple of days and a wet and windy spell for many up into the new year.
“We’re encouraging anyone who is planning to travel to keep up to date with the weather forecast and news from their local authorities.”
