A three day yellow snow warning has been issued for most of England over the weekend as the UK braces for a cold snap in the first week of 2025.
The warning area covers all of Wales, southern Scotland, and almost all of England – barring parts of the southern and eastern coasts – and will be in place from 12pm on Saturday until 9am on Monday.
Travel delays and power cuts are likely in the most affected areas of the Midlands, Wales and northern England, which could see anything between 5cm and 30cm of snow.
A fresh ice warning has also been introduced, covering all of northern England, Northern Ireland, northern Wales, and much of Scotland, and will be in place until 10am on Thursday.
A yellow warning for snow and ice has been issued for northern Scotland for the same time period, while a wind warning in southern parts of the UK will be lifted at 3pm on Wednesday.
There were more than 150 flood warnings and alerts in place across the country as of Wednesday night.
Greater Manchester Police said a major incident has been declared in Greater Manchester after flooding forced homes to be evacuated and closed train lines and roads on New Year’s Day following heavy rain.
Key Points
- Major incident declared by Manchester police amid flooding
- In pictures: Flooding in Manchester after rain warnings
- Fresh weather warnings for snow and ice across UK
- More than 180 flood warnings and alerts issued across UK
Watch: Flooding brings travel disruption at start of new year
23:09
Tara Cobham
Some parts of North West saw almost a month’s worth of rain within 48 hours
22:16
Tara Cobham
Some parts of the North West saw almost a month’s worth of rain within 48 hours, according to the Met Office.
And that was before the North West and Wales were lashed by more heavy rain on Wednesday.
Honister Pass in Cumbria saw nearly 6in (150mm) of rain, while Rochdale in Greater Manchester had 3in (77mm).
Met Office forecasts sunny morning for many across UK
21:22
Tara Cobham
The Met Office has forecast a sunny morning for many across the UK.
Writing on X, the weather service said: “Thursday morning will start frosty, though clear or sunny for many
“Some ice and wintry showers, especially in the north.”
Thursday morning will start frosty, though clear or sunny for many
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 1, 2025
Some ice and wintry showers, especially in the north pic.twitter.com/OGa560u7GB
Extra night on holiday for hundreds of British Airways passengers after planes ‘go tech’
21:20
Travel correspondent Simon Calder
Several hundred British Airways passengers expecting to depart on their flights back to London Gatwick on New Year’s Day have enjoyed extended holidays at the airline’s expense. They can also look forward to hundreds of pounds in compensation, as the hold-ups were due to technical faults on BA’s Boeing 777 aircraft.
The first problem arose on New Year’s Eve, when BA2065 from Gatwick to Mauritius “went technical”. Departure for the Indian Ocean island was delayed by 24 hours.
Holidaymakers in Mauritius were due to fly back on the aircraft at 9.10pm on New Year’s Day. But the plane was still on the ground at Gatwick.
British Airways says the flight will now leave Mauritius at 12.15pm on 2 January, 15 hours behind schedule. Passengers will get an extra night on the island.
Conversely, though, passengers on the outbound flight spent 24 hours at hotels in the Gatwick area, shortening their holidays by a day.
The New Year’s Day British Airways flight from Gatwick to Orlando in Florida was cancelled because of another technical fault. Passengers must be found space on alternative flights, but many are likely to have to change planes
All travellers on either leg of the grounded flights are entitled to £520 under air passengers’ rights rules. British Airways must pay for additional hotel nights and meals.
People who are on package holidays and who lose a day of the trip because of being stuck at Gatwick should also be able to claim a pro-rata refund of the cost of their trip.
Severe Weather Emergency Protocol activated in Bristol for homeless
20:40
Tara Cobham
In Bristol, the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol has been activated by Bristol City Council and homeless charity St Mungo’s.
Running until 8 January, it will see increased outreach shifts and more accommodation made available, with the aim of ensuring nobody has to sleep on the streets during such extreme weather conditions.
Manchester lashed with 70 to 80mm of rain, according to professor’s rain gauge
20:20
Tara Cobham
A geography professor said they have had 70 to 80mm of rain in the Greater Manchester region after measuring it on a rain gauge at his home.
Tom Coulthard, who works at the University of Hull from Didsbury, south Manchester, said: “It started raining heavily at about 5 or 6pm on Tuesday evening, and then it just rained hard all night.
“All the local rivers and water courses have sort of filled up and flooded around the area.
“All around this part of south Manchester, Cheadle, bits of Cheshire, there’s been local flooding. Roads closed. The motorway was closed, the M60, the M56 to Manchester Airport, that was all closed off.
“The last record level was set in Didsbury in February 2022, these record levels in the rivers around here are tumbling every year or every couple of years.
“That’s really probably a sign of just how our weather is changing, how climate is shifting this.
“This is in line with all sorts of the predictions that people in my profession have been talking about for 20 years or more, the impacts of climate change will be sort of warmer, wetter winters.”
Floods minister meets officials to ensure communities hit by flooding get support
20:00
Tara Cobham
Floods minister Emma Hardy said she met officials from the Environment Agency on Wednesday to “ensure that impacted communities are receiving the necessary support” and added she wants to “express my heartfelt thanks for the vital work that the Environment Agency and emergency services are doing to keep people safe”.
She added: “The government is working at pace to accelerate the building of flood defences through our new Floods Resilience Taskforce, so we can continue to protect people and their homes.”
Met Office’s UK forecast for tomorrow
19:40
Tara Cobham
Here's a more in depth look at tomorrow's 4cast pic.twitter.com/tbu1mSU1TG
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 1, 2025
EasyJet passengers experience double ‘go-around’ at Gatwick
19:20
Travel correspondent Simon Calder
Gatwick, the busiest single-runway airport in the world, has had two diversions of arriving aircraft on New Year’s Day.
An easyJet flight from Edinburgh to the Sussex airport was unable to land early in the morning and diverted to Stansted. The Airbus waited on the ground at the Essex airport before flying back to Gatwick and landing successfully.
Passengers on easyJet’s morning flight from Copenhagen were not so lucky. The aircraft was initially on course for an on-time arrival, but when 50 miles east of Gatwick it entered a holding pattern – and, a few minutes later, a second hold.
The first attempt at landing was aborted when the aircraft was at a height of 575 feet. The aircraft was immediately vectored for a second attempt, but the pilots made a second “go-around” at 800 feet, according to data from Flightradar24.
Safety was never compromised, and the aircraft flew on to Stansted, where it landed 70 minutes later than its scheduled arrival at Gatwick.
Where motorways and roads are closed due to flooding across UK
19:02
Tara Cobham
Motorways and roads across the country are partly closed due to flooding.
National Highways reports there are currently severe incidents as a result of closures due to flooding at:
- The A628 eastbound between the A57 and the junction with the A616
- Two lanes of the The M56 westbound entry slip at junction J6
- The M62 westbound entry slip at junction J24
- The A628 westbound between the A616 and the junction with the A57
- The M53 southbound
- The M56 westbound between junctions J6 and J8
- The M60 anticlockwise
Met Office’s forecast for New Year’s Day evening
18:45
Tara Cobham
The Met Office has forecast rain before plunging temperatures and icy conditions overnight.
In a post on social media this evening, the forecaster said: “Rain in the south and southeast gradually clearing this evening.
“Clear spells following behind with wintry showers in areas exposed to the northerly breeze.
“Turning rather cold with frost and ice forming overnight.”
Rain in the south and southeast gradually clearing this evening ☔
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 1, 2025
Clear spells following behind with wintry showers in areas exposed to the northerly breeze ❄️
Turning rather cold with frost and ice forming overnight
Stay #WeatherAware ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/51CeE3vsEP
Crawley-Charlton clash postponed as wet weather hits football fixtures
18:20
Tara Cobham
Charlton’s Sky Bet League One visit to Crawley on New Year’s Day was postponed close to kick-off due to a waterlogged pitch.
Crawley said at 2.15pm that the referee was taking another look at the condition of the pitch with rain falling heavily in West Sussex.
Both clubs announced on social media at 2.40pm that the sell-out fixture had been called off.
“Unfortunately, this afternoon’s match against Charlton has been postponed owing to a waterlogged pitch at the Broadfield Stadium,” Crawley said on their X account.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused and will be back in touch with more communication regarding tickets in due course.”
Addicks manager Nathan Jones told CharltonTV: “We’re disappointed, we would like to have played it for every reason.
“One end of the pitch was good and it surprised us it was off. The referee made the decision the bottom end of the pitch wasn’t playable.
“To be fair to the referee he gave it every opportunity and said it was only going to get worse. He said if he couldn’t finish it he was very reluctant to start it.”
Unfortunately, this afternoon’s match against Charlton has been postponed owing to a waterlogged pitch at the Broadfield Stadium.
— Crawley Town FC (@crawleytown) January 1, 2025
We apologise for any inconvenience caused and will be back in touch with more communication regarding tickets in due course.#TownTeamTogether
Full story: Three day snow warning as UK starts 2025 with heavy rain, flood alerts and a major incident
18:00
Tara Cobham
Britain has rung in the New Year with heavy downpours and severe flooding with significant snowfall expected this weekend as the temperature is set to plummet in the first week of 2025.
A number of Met Office alerts are in place across large swathes of the UK and more than 170 flood warnings have been put in place across England, Scotland and Wales.
A three-day snow warning has been issued for almost all of England and Wales and parts of Scotland this weekend as the Met Office has warned rural communities could become cut off.
Read the full story here:
More than 180 flood warnings and alerts issued across UK
17:40
Tara Cobham
More than 180 flood warnings and alerts have been issued across the UK.
The Environment Agency (EA) currently has in place 53 flood warnings, where flooding is expected, and 90 flood alerts, where flooding is possible, across England.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has issued 15 flood warnings and four flood alerts in Scotland as of Wednesday evening
And Natural Resources Wales has in place seven flood warnings and 17 flood alerts across Wales.
Revellers brave wind, rain and grey skies to watch New Year’s Day Parade
17:30
Tara Cobham
A loud bang, a burst of red, white and blue confetti and lots of cheering marked the start of the rain-soaked and delayed London New Year’s Day Parade.
Hundreds of umbrellas went up at the time the parade, which was delayed by 30 minutes, was due to begin as a heavy downpour drenched revellers. They were greeted by strong gusts, grey skies, rain and a chill in the air plus bagpipers who powered through their playlists despite the bad weather.
Brass bands and bagpipers kicked off the festivities, soon followed by a guitar band who sang the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine.
DJs, who were dressed in plastic hooded raincoats, blasted the sunny party sounds of calypso from an open-top bus and a cheerleading troupe put on a show.
More than 10,000 performers from across the globe, including singer Peter Andre, took part in the parade which covered a two-mile route through London’s West End.
The “more than frisky” wind conditions, which meant no inflatable cartoon characters could be used, had been a safety concern, according to parade spokesman Dan Kirkby.
He said: “Hundreds of thousands of people turned up. I would suggest it is one of the best parades we have ever had, particularly given the conditions. We showed a little stiff upper lip.”
Mr Kirkby added: “It has all been a moment of wonderment and a point in time where the world could see that London is a city with people of all cultures, has a sense of humour about itself and has a terrific spirit.”
Pictured: Man trapped in car amid flooding in north west
17:10
Alex Croft
Where snow could hit UK on New Year’s Day as temperatures drop to -1C
16:50
Alex Croft
Britons are bracing for a week of snowfall and a sharp drop in temperatures, which will hit below freezing in some areas on New Year’s Day.
Fresh weather warnings for snow were also issued by the Met Office on Wednesday, including a three-day yellow warning covering almost all of England, Wales, and southern Scotland over the weekend.
The yellow snow warning will be in place from 12pm on Saturday until 9am on Monday, and the Met Office said travel delays and power cuts should be expected in the worst affected areas of the Midlands, Wales and northern England - which could see anything between 5cm and 30cm of snow.
There is a “fair bit of uncertainty” as to how far north the snow will spread and how long it will last, the forecaster says, but “significant accumulations of snow are possible”.
Read the full report:
Heavy rain causes canal to breach for first time since 1971
16:30
Alex Croft
Heavy rain has caused a canal to breach in the civil parish of Dunham Massey, Greater Manchester.
It is the first time the canal has been breached since 1971, according to Altrincham Today.
❗️Major incident in Dunham Massey, where the Bridgewater Canal has been breached for the first time since 1971.
— Altrincham Today (@altrinchamtoday) January 1, 2025
Peter White pic.twitter.com/yjj5NcWo1h
In pictures: Dramatic weather on the south coast
16:04
Alex Croft
Wind warning lifted in southern UK
15:42
Alex Croft
A yellow weather warning for wind which covered the southern half of the UK, including Wales, has now been lifted.
The warning was in place until 3pm on Wednesday and saw some areas battered with winds up to 75mph causing “small chance of injuries and danger to life from flying debris”.
Two yellow weather warnings remain in place until 10am tomorrow, for snow and ice in northern Scotland and for ice in northern England, Northern Ireland and the rest of Scotland.
Flood warnings revised down to 91
15:17
Alex Croft
The number of flood warnings in place across the UK - which means flooding is expected in an area - now stands at 91.
This includes 68 in England, issued by the Environment Agency, 15 in Scotland, issued by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, and eight in Wales, issued by Natural Resources Wales.
There are also 131 flood alerts in place - the least severe of the three-tier warning system.
Cold snap for the week ahead - Met Office forecast
14:54
Alex Croft
The Met Office has updated its forecast for the week ahead.
Here’s what chief forecaster Dan Holley said: “An Atlantic frontal system is likely to move across parts of central and southern UK through the weekend. With milder, moisture-laden air engaging with the cold conditions already in place this may bring a spell of snow in some areas, before possibly turning back to rain in the south.
“At this stage there is a fair amount of uncertainty over exactly which areas will see disruptive snow, with parts of Wales, northern England and the Midlands most likely to see some impacts.
“Here we could see 5cm or more in quite a few areas, and perhaps as much as 20-30cm over high ground, including Wales and the Pennines. Coupled with strengthening winds this could lead to drifting, making travelling conditions difficult over higher-level routes in particular.
“We’ve currently issued a Yellow warning for snow covering a large part of England, Wales and southern Scotland to cater for possible disruption over the weekend, but it’s quite likely this will be refined over the coming days as confidence in the forecast increases. So it’s worth keeping up to date with the latest warnings.”
More pictures of flooding in Manchester
14:28
Alex Croft
Rail passengers in northern England told: ‘You cannot travel’
14:08
Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent
TransPennine Express, which runs intercity trains in northern England and southern Scotland is urging customers not to travel on New Year’s Day morning “as persistent heavy rain has caused flooding on several routes – primarily in the north west”.
The company says: “The flooding is causing significant issues in Greater Manchester and Cheshire and is impacting many service across the major trans-Pennine routes. “With the heavy rain set to continue for several hours, further flooding is likely and rail travellers have been advised to delay journeys, at least until the afternoon.”
Passengers are urged “to defer their travel or claim a refund”.
Northern warns: “Flooding between Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly means that all lines are disrupted. Trains running between these stations will be cancelled or revised. Disruption is expected until 12 noon.”
Lines between Liverpool and Manchester are also blocked.
What will the rest of New Year’s Day look like?
13:47
Alex Croft
Here’s what the rest of New Year’s Day will look like weather-wise, as per the Met Office:
Wet and windy weather will continue to affect the south and southeast of England this afternoon ️ ️
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 1, 2025
Brightening up to the north, but with some showery bursts, falling as rain, sleet and in places snow ❄️
Still mild in the far south, but cold with some ice in the north pic.twitter.com/HPO4inm812
2025 begins with dozens of flight cancellations at Heathrow
13:26
Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent
Thousands of airline passengers face disruption on New Year’s Day after 36 flights to and from London Heathrow were cancelled.
They have been grounded in response to a reduction in the “flow rate” of arrivals at the UK’s busiest airport.
British Airways cancelled 28 European flights linking Heathrow with destinations such as Barcelona, Copenhagen and Nice. Two round-trips to Milan have been grounded.
A spokesperson for BA said: “We operate hundreds of flights every day without disruption, successfully getting tens of thousands of our customers to where they need to be.
“Like other airlines, we’ve had to make some small adjustments to our schedule today because of air traffic control restrictions across London airports due to adverse weather conditions.
“While the vast majority of our customers will be unaffected, we apologise for the inconvenience caused and our teams are working hard to help get their journeys back on track.”
Other cancellations have been made by Swiss from Geneva and Zurich, Lufthansa from Frankfurt and Air France from Paris CDG.
Met Office graphic shows snow movement predictions
13:06
Alex Croft
⚠️ Yellow weather warning issued ⚠️
— Met Office (@metoffice) January 1, 2025
A risk of snow across parts of Scotland, England and Wales
Saturday 1200 – Monday 0900
Latest info https://t.co/QwDLMfRBfs
Stay #WeatherAware⚠️ pic.twitter.com/38go97OR7a
Major incident declared by Manchester police amid flooding
12:45
Alex Croft
Greater Manchester Police said a major incident has been declared over widespread flooding in the area following heavy rain.
The force said the worst affected areas were Bolton, Didsbury, Harpurhey, Stalybridge, Stockport and Wigan.
Mountain rescue teams have been deployed to help Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service deal with damaged properties and stranded vehicles.
Chief Superintendent Colette Rose said: “Following events overnight a major incident has been declared. This is to ensure we can continue to keep people safe through a co-ordinated effort from our collective emergency services, supported by key partner agencies.
“Anyone affected should check the relevant detail being shared by their local council, the fire service and Transport for Greater Manchester to ensure they can get the support available, which include any road closures and information centres for those displaced. It is advised to travel if it is only necessary and to take care if out and about.
“Our officers with the fire service are in the key locations and can be spoken to if you need anything urgently, as we understand the distress those affected will be faced with as we begin 2025. It will be a continued team effort as we monitor how the weather and water levels progress throughout today.”
Fresh weather warnings for snow and ice across UK
12:25
Alex Croft
The Met Office has issued a fresh batch of weather warnings for snow and ice across the UK throughout the rest of the week.
The snow and ice warning in north Scotland has been expanded to include the Orkneys and Shetlands and extended until 10am on Thursday.
A fresh ice warning has been introduced covering all of northern England, Northern Ireland. northern Wales, and the parts of Scotland not under the snow and ice warning. This will also be in place until 10am tomorrow.
A two-day yellow weather warning for snow has been introduced for all of Wales, southern Scotland, and almost all England barring parts of the southern and eastern coasts. It will be in place from 12pm on Saturday until 9am on Monday.
In pictures: Flooding in Manchester after rain warnings
12:13
Alex Croft
Transpennine Express issues ‘do not travel’ alert
11:28
Alex Croft
⚠️ DO NOT TRAVEL DUE TO FLOODING NORTH OF ENGLAND ⚠️
— TPE Customer Assist (@TPEassist) January 1, 2025
We are urging customers not to travel on Wednesday 1 January on the following routes as persistent heavy rain has caused flooding.
Please see the list of routes below: pic.twitter.com/J1AfFkilpL
Delays and diversions hit hundreds of New Year travellers
11:05
Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent
Airline passengers making long-haul journeys to and from London Heathrow on Virgin Atlantic and British Airways face delays, two of them triggered by diversions.
Virgin Atlantic flight VS8 from Los Angeles to London Heathrow took off as expected shortly before 4pm California time on New Year’s Eve. But while flying over northern Missouri, the Airbus A350 diverted due to a medical emergency on board. It landed 75 minutes later at Chicago O’Hare.
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: “Flight VS8 from Los Angeles to London Heathrow requested a priority diversion into Chicago O’Hare Airport on Tuesday 31 December (local) due to a passenger becoming unwell onboard.
“The safety and wellbeing of our customers and crew is always our number one priority and we’re sorry for the inconvenience caused to customers onboard. The aircraft has continued to London and is due to arrive this afternoon.”
The flight departed from Chicago a few minutes after midnight, local time, and is expected to arrive at Heathrow about four hours late at 1.30pm.
Passengers on a BA flight from Chicago to Heathrow also unexpectedly saw in the New Year at O’Hare airport. Flight BA296 was already late after a diversion to Iceland on the outbound flight. The aircraft left the stand at Chicago at 1am local time, but returned to the terminal before take-off. The Boeing 787 eventually left at 2.25am local time, and is expected to arrive at 3.30pm – four hours late.
British Airways passengers due to fly to Johannesburg at 9.15pm on New Year’s Eve are still at Heathrow after a technical issue grounded their plane. It is now likely to fly out at 12 noon, around 15 hours late.
The corresponding inbound flight from South Africa’s largest city to London is expected to operate about eight hours late on Thursday.
Where snow could hit UK on New Year’s Day as temperatures drop to -1C
10:47
Alex Croft
Britons are bracing for snowfall and a sharp drop in temperatures which will hit below freezing in some areas on New Year’s Day.
Three weather warnings are in place across much of the UK, which is waking up on the first day of 2025 after multiple New Year’s Eve celebrations were cancelled due to rough weather - including Edinburgh’s Hogmanay.
Conditions aren’t set to improve at the start of the new year, with rain, wind and snow warnings covering much of Wales, the southern half of England and northern Scotland.
A snow and ice could cause “travel disruption and difficult driving conditions” across northern Scotland, with a yellow warning in place until 9am on Thursday as temperatures reach sub-zero on Wednesday evening.
Read the full report:
‘Uncertain’ weather for New Year’s Day
10:22
Alex Croft
The UK will experience an uncertain start to the year in weather terms, with a wet and windy start across much of England and Wales and chilly conditions with some occasional sunshine in Northern Ireland and Scotland.
Met Office deputy chief meteorologist Rebekah Hicks said: “A band of persistent and at times heavy rain will linger across Wales and northwest England through Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, before clearing southeast during Wednesday afternoon. This rain will be accompanied by strong and gusty winds.”
On Thursday, the forecaster says it is “likely that the whole of the UK will experience a change to colder conditions, with this persisting into the weekend”.
Rail passengers in northern England told: ‘You cannot travel’
10:02
Alex Croft
TransPennine Express, which runs intercity trains in northern England and southern Scotland is urging customers not to travel on New Year’s Day morning “as persistent heavy rain has caused flooding on several routes – primarily in the north west”.
The company says: “The flooding is causing significant issues in Greater Manchester and Cheshire and is impacting many service across the major trans-Pennine routes.“With the heavy rain set to continue for several hours, further flooding is likely and rail travellers have been advised to delay journeys, at least until the afternoon.”
Passengers are urged “to defer their travel or claim a refund”.
Northern warns: “Flooding between Manchester Airport and Manchester Piccadilly means that all lines are disrupted. Trains running between these stations will be cancelled or revised. Disruption is expected until 12 noon.”
Lines between Liverpool and Manchester are also blocked.
2025 begins with dozens of flight cancellations at Heathrow
09:44
Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent
Thousands of airline passengers face disruption on New Year’s Day after 36 flights to and from London Heathrow were cancelled.
They have been grounded in response to a reduction in the “flow rate” of arrivals at the UK’s busiest airport.
British Airways cancelled 28 European flights linking Heathrow with destinations such as Barcelona, Copenhagen and Nice. Two round-trips to Milan have been grounded.
A spokesperson for BA said: “We operate hundreds of flights every day without disruption, successfully getting tens of thousands of our customers to where they need to be.
“Like other airlines, we’ve had to make some small adjustments to our schedule today because of air traffic control restrictions across London airports due to adverse weather conditions.
“While the vast majority of our customers will be unaffected, we apologise for the inconvenience caused and our teams are working hard to help get their journeys back on track.”
Other cancellations have been made by Swiss from Geneva and Zurich, Lufthansa from Frankfurt and Air France from Paris CDG.
More than 170 flood warnings issued across UK
09:26
Alex Croft
Weather authorities have issued 178 flood warnings across England, Scotland and Wales as the UK is set to be lashed with rain as it enters the New Year.
The Environment Agency has issued 137 flood warnings for England, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has issued 28 in Scotland, and 13 more have been issued by Natural Resources Wales.
A flood warning is the second most severe of the three-tier warning system shared between the three agencies. It means flooding is expected in the area and advises residents to “act now”.
There are also 160 flood alerts - the least severe warning level - in place. This includes 112 in England, 39 in Wales and 9 in Scotland.
Mapped: Wednesday’s weather warnings
09:01
Alex Croft
Four weather warnings are in force for Wednesday.
They include two rain warnings which will be wrapped up by 11am, a wind warning which will end at 3pm, and a snow and ice warning which lasts until 9am on Thursday.
Here they are, mapped:
Epic fireworks display in Mexico to welcome 2025
08:41
Alex Croft
Met Office displays New Year’s forecast in graphics
08:21
Alex Croft
Here’s your New Year’s forecast to kick off 2025 pic.twitter.com/3Mjt4EPe9s
— Met Office (@metoffice) December 31, 2024
Heavy rain to lash parts of UK to kick off 2025
08:02
Alex Croft
Heavy rain will lash parts of the UK to begin 2025 after New Year’s Eve celebrations across the country were cancelled.
An amber warning for heavy rain has been put in place across parts of North-West England until 9am on New Year’s Day.
The Met Office warning stretches from Settle in the Yorkshire Dales across to Preston and down to parts of the Peak District.
The warning states that heavy rain is “likely to lead to disruption including flooding in some locations” with a chance some places could see more than 10cm of rain.
Winds of up to 60mph are forecast across much of England and Wales all day on Wednesday, with gusts of 75mph likely around coastal areas and hills, according to the Met Office.
Rain turning to snow on New Year’s Day is likely to cause travel disruption, particularly on roads and railways across Grampian, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, and the Highlands & Eilean Siar, the Met Office said.
In pictures: Spectacular London fireworks display to ring in 2025
07:42
Alex Croft
Thousands of people saw in 2025 on the banks of the River Thames as London defied weather concerns with a spectacular firework display.
The weather forced outdoor celebrations in Edinburgh and other places across the UK to be cancelled, but London’s annual display went ahead in clear skies.
After Big Ben marked the start of the new year, the 11-minute display began with the message “Your New Year Is Unwritten”.
To a diverse soundtrack covering the likes of Vera Lynn, Sir Elton John, Travis, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, One Direction and Charli XCX with voiceovers from people including Dame Imelda Staunton and Sir Ian McKellen, the celebration looked back at 2024 with topics including the weather, the Paris Olympics and Paralympics, Euro 2024.
The celebration doubled as a 25th birthday party for the London Eye, which provided the centre point for the fireworks, with the message to “honour our history and never give up hope for our future”.
The mayor’s office said around 100,000 ticketholders had attended the display, which included more than 12,000 fireworks and 420 lights.
