Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

UK weather latest: Storm Dylan bears down as forecasters warn of potential for 'injuries and danger to life'

Yellow warnings for wind and rain in force over the weekend

Jon Sharman
Friday 29 December 2017 20:10 GMT
Comments
Severe weather blankets Edinburgh in snow as as Scots are urged to stay indoors

Forecasters are warning road, rail and air travellers to expect more travel chaos over the New Year period after Friday’s stormy and wintry weather caused damage to buildings and an airport to close.

Meteorologists say disruption may occur across the country as 2017 draws to a close. Winds from Storm Dylan could cause danger to life as 80mph gusts hurl debris through the air, the Met Office said.

The weather system is expected to cause problems nationwide, with Northern Ireland and southern Scotland set to feel the strongest winds. A yellow warning is in place there for Sunday from just after midnight to 3pm.

Heavy downpours are also predicted to blight much of southeast Wales, plus southwestern, central and southern England over the weekend.

With a yellow warning for heavy rain issued by the Met Office from 6pm on Saturday to 9am on Sunday, up to 25mm is predicted to fall, while up to 40mm could be seen in some spots.

The storm will come amid a walkout by RMT members on South Western Railway and CrossCountry train services, who will strike for 24 hours on New Year’s Eve.

On Friday morning snow blanketed Scotland and northern England, with 10cm forcing the temporary closure of Glasgow airport, while the south coast was lashed by torrential downpours and lightning.

Buildings were damaged by strong winds, and some areas experienced power cuts. In East Boldre, Hampshire, strong gusts ripped several rows of shingles off the roof of a house.

The RAC said it was “very, very busy across the UK” on Friday morning as a result of the weather, and had been dealing with around one breakdown every 10 seconds.

The AA said it had received some 1,687 breakdown calls before 10am on Friday, with 10 cases of vehicles being stuck in snow.

Because of the slippery conditions there were reports of collisions, and a number of roads were closed.

Friday's weather conditions came after Britain woke up from one of the coldest nights of the year when temperatures dropped to a low of -12.3C.

Additional reporting by agencies

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in