As the Easter holiday gets underway, millions of people in the UK are expected to hit the road on Good Friday due to heavy winds from Storm Nelson.
Storm Nelson Causes Travel Disruptions Across the UK Over Long Weekend
As the long weekend got underway, the ferry operator DFDS announced that delays were occurring to its services at Dover "due to strong winds in the Channel," with two million British vacationers set to travel overseas.
According to a yellow weather warning issued by the Met Office for wind throughout Friday, affecting London as well as the southeast, south-west, and east regions of England, Storm Nelson arrived with gusts of up to 50 mph.
Due to flooding, some lines of the Great Western Railway were closed on Thursday. Along with the main line from Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads, all lines between Westbury and Swindon were closed.
According to the travel trade association Abta, airports were reporting "strong numbers" for the departures scheduled between Friday and Monday, including 175,000 from Stansted, 105,000 from Luton, 160,000 from Manchester, 79,000 from Birmingham, and 89,000 from Edinburgh.
Following days of unpredictability, including hailstones in some areas of Cornwall, Good Friday is expected to be a day of sunshine and blustery, scattered showers.
Wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph are predicted for certain exposed coastal locations, and strong waves are also possible, according to the Met Office's yellow weather warning.
It further says : “The strong winds will be accompanied by heavy, squally showers with the possibility of hail and thunder in some locations. Hail won’t fall everywhere but where it does it can quickly make road surfaces slippery, while surface water and spray are likely to worsen travel conditions rather more widely.”
Rain is expected in some parts of Northern Ireland during the early hours of Friday, according to a yellow weather warning issued by the Met Office. It says: “Accumulations of 15–25 mm are expected widely. Some places are likely to see 25–30mm, locally in excess of 40mm, especially across the Antrim hills.”
Varied Conditions with Warmth, Thunderstorm Risks, and Improving Trends Across Regions
In other parts of the country, temperatures could feel warm. The Met Office predicted highs of 14C in the southeast of England, but there is a chance of thunderstorms.
The extreme northeast of the UK was predicted to have the driest weather, with windy conditions throughout the morning in several areas.
Dan Harris, the deputy chief meteorologist, stated: “The weather is expected to gradually improve following the widely unsettled spell of the past few days, with a fairly typical mix of spring-like weather across the UK.
“There will be some sunshine, and it will feel increasingly warm for most as the winds become lighter.”
He did, however, predict that there will be some passing showers, possibly fairly heavy and frequent, in the west and particularly in the south-west.
Forecasts for the eastern coastal districts also included prolonged low overcast in some locations and a building onshore breeze that would make them feel more cold.
Anticipated Easter Travel Disruptions Across UK Roads and Railways
According to a survey conducted by the RAC and the transportation analytics firm Inrix, 2.6 million leisure car trips are anticipated on Good Friday.
The drivers were encouraged to leave as early as possible or to wait until later in the afternoon, as the longest delays were predicted to occur between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
It was anticipated that two heavily travelled holiday roads would be blocked: the M5 southbound between Bristol and Taunton, and the M3 between the M25 and the south coast.
Because certain main lines would be closed because of engineering work, Network Rail recommended train passengers verify their trip details before they travelled.
Beginning on Good Friday, the West Coast Main Line between Milton Keynes and London Euston will be closed for four days.
The environs of Glasgow and Huddersfield will also experience disturbance.
According to the tourism board VisitEngland, approximately 11 million individuals in the UK were considering overnight trips for Easter, which would bring in an estimated £3.2 billion for the economy.