‘Brighter’ weather expected ahead of New Year’s Eve washout

29 December 2024, 08:11 | Updated: 29 December 2024, 08:28

Weather in the UK will turn "brighter" on Sunday before snow and rain arrives for New Year's Eve, the Met Office has said.

Temperatures are expected to reach 12C in Exeter, Devon, with 10C across other parts of the country including Belfast, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Pembrokeshire and Southampton, the forecaster has said.

Foggy weather persisted across Friday and Saturday, leading to delays and cancellations at several airports including Gatwick and Manchester, but this will fade on Sunday afternoon.

South-east England will experience a “dull start” to the day with “brighter conditions” later on.

Meanwhile, northern parts of the country will be "quite windy" with heavy downpours moving across Scotland, the weather service has said.

The Met Office has issued two weather warnings for Monday and Tuesday, because up to 140mm of rain, 20cm of snow and 60mph winds are expected to hit the worst-affected areas before New Year's Eve.

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The warning for snow and rain covers most of Scotland, which is set for heavy downpours which could cause "significant disruption" in the run-up to Hogmanay.

Referring to Sunday's weather senior forecaster Craig Snell said: “We should see a brighter day across the UK.

“It could still be a bit dull to start across the South East, especially, but as the day goes on, we should see some brighter, brighter weather develop even there.

"It’s not going to be wall-to-wall sunshine, but we certainly hopefully have lost a lot of the murk we’ve seen for the last day or so.”

The weather on New Year's Eve is looking "unsettled" with wet and windy conditions expected to hit the north of the country and "less expansive" rain in the south.

The weather warning for snow and rain is in place on December 30 and 31 for most of Scotland, apart from Orkney and Shetland, during which 50-70mm of rain is possible and up to 140mm in the west.

Between 10 and 20cm of snow is expected to accumulate on higher ground with flakes expected to fall in areas north and east of Perthshire, according to the forecaster.

A separate warning for wind in northern England on Monday has also been issued – with gusts of up to 60mph possible which may cause travel delays and power cuts.

The warning, in place from 11am to 6pm, covers areas including Durham, Northumberland, Cumbria and North Yorkshire.