The Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning until 9pm for the Danish-named tempest (Picture: Getty)
Brits heading home for Christmas have been warned to brace for travel chaos as Storm Pia sweeps in today with 80mph gusts.
The Met Office has issued a yellow wind warning until 9pm for the Danish-named tempest, with road, rail, air and ferry services in affected areas of England and Scotland all facing delays.
Forecasters also gave an update on their prediction for conditions this weekend and the big one on Monday.
Chief Meteorologist Paul Gundersen said: ‘Christmas Day looks like being fairly unsettled in northern and western areas. Any showers in the north could be wintry with hail and thunder, but even here, any snow will be mainly on high ground.
‘The south of the country will see the best of the drier and brighter conditions. While temperatures will be near normal for the time of year it will be a windy day for many meaning it will feel colder.
‘Beyond Christmas Day further rain or showers and strong winds are likely for many, and again any sleet and snow will be mainly over the hills of Scotland, as is often the case in December.’
Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon added there is the possibility of snow on Christmas Day, but only in the far north of Scotland.
He added: ‘It looks like there will be a drier afternoon in the south of the UK for those post-Christmas dinner walks.’
The yellow wind warning end tie has been brought forward, and the warning impact level has been updated
Today’s weather warning forecasts gusts of 70 to 80mph in northern Scotland, with 65 to 70mph on high ground, and 45 to 55mph elsewhere in the country.
Mr Gundersen, said: ‘From late Wednesday into Thursday, strong winds are likely to develop across a large area of the UK.
‘We’ve issued a large yellow warning area where there’s a potential for some impacts, but gusts of 50 to 60mph are possible for large parts of central and northern areas of the UK.
‘Exposed coasts and high ground could see gusts of 70 to 80mph at times, mainly across the far north of Scotland.
‘There’s a chance this low pressure will continue to exert its influence into Friday, so it’s important to stay up to date with the latest Met Office forecast.’
Schools in Shetland will be closed on Thursday due to the high winds, and extra electricity network engineers are being brought in to deal with potential power cuts.
Ferry services across the west coast of Scotland are expected to experience disruption, CalMac warned.
On the trains, Network Rail said many services will only run once safety inspections have taken place, leading to some cancellations.
The West Highland line, Kyle of Lochalsh line, and the Far North line, along with Inverness-Inverurie services, will all be subject to inspections before trains can run, and speed restrictions will also be in place in the central belt and the south of Scotland.
Travellers have been warned of ‘short notice changes to journeys’ on ScotRail services and are advised to check ahead, while additional engineers will be deployed to deal with any incidents.
Liam Sumpter, route director for Network Rail Scotland, said: ‘Safety is our first priority and that’s why we’ve stopped some trains from running on Thursday morning and slowed others down.
‘High winds can cause trees and other debris to fall on to the track, with the potential to damage infrastructure and block lines. It’s important we assess the impact of the severe weather before reopening lines and removing restrictions.’
David Simpson, ScotRail service delivery director, said: ‘Services on some routes will be significantly impacted by Storm Pia, and in addition to some cancellations on the routes most impacted, customers can expect short notice changes to their journeys.’
Finlay MacRae, head of operations at CalMac, said: ‘While we can’t control the impact from weather, we do have a committed team working hard to reduce the impact on our communities and customers wherever we can.
‘Our crew will monitor the situation and respond to limited weather windows by operating untimetabled services whenever they can do so safely.’
