MILLIONS are bracing for a New Year’s Eve washout – as heavy rain, 70mph gales and up to eight inches of snow threaten fireworks across Britain.
Firework displays have been scrapped across the UK after the Met Office issued a rare amber rain warning and five yellow ones.
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Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations have already been cancelled due to “extreme weather”.
Blackpool Council also said it had made the “tough decision” to axe its New Year’s Eve fireworks display owing to the winds.
And there are fears London’s fireworks display could be in jeopardy amid 45mph winds in the capital.
Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and northern England are covered by a swathe of Met Office weather warnings.
An amber rain warning will cover Moray and the Highlands until 5pm this afternoon.
Most of central and northern Scotland will be covered by a yellow rain and snow warning until midnight.
Further north, the Orkney Islands are also subject to a yellow snow warning until midnight.
A whopping eight inches of snow is expected to blanket parts of the warning zone.
Meanwhile a yellow wind alert is due to affect Scotland and northern England from 11pm.
Another wind warning of the same category has been placed across much of Northern Ireland until 2pm.
Delays to all types of transport are “likely” as strong winds persist – reaching speeds of up to 70mph.
Moving south, a yellow rain warning will be in force for rain across the coast of north west England and Wales.
The warning is active from 6pm tonight until 6pm on Wednesday – spanning two different years.
Met Office expert Craig Snell said: “Another system is moving in from the Atlantic.
“Scotland bearing the brunt of this one with some further heavy rain and snow and strong winds.
“The winds are also picking up for Northern Ireland and northern England through New Year’s Eve as well.
“It will basically be quite an unsettled last day of the year for the northern half of the UK.”
“To the south, we will see some rain later on New Year’s Eve, but it shouldn’t cause too many problems.
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“Apart from if you’re out celebrating – you might get a bit damp.
“With the multiple hazards going on across the UK, I think we can probably expect some travel delays right across the UK.”
London’s New Year’s Eve fireworks in jeopardy as expert warns revellers could be disappointed
FIREWORK displays for New Year’s Eve could be in jeopardy – including in London where 45mph winds are forecast.
Fireworks expert Stephen Miller – whose firm consults on spectacular displays nation-wide – revealed the issues organisers will be facing in the coming hours.
A firework display health and safety consultant for Bromley Council for over 25 years, Mr Miller said there’s a chance the more hazardous effects may have to be cut if the weather keeps up.
The Met Office is forecasting snow, torrential rain and severe winds in parts of the UK as the New Year is ushered in.
London could see 45mph wind gusts on Tuesday night – while other areas are facing winds of up to 70mph, the Met Office says.
A spokesperson for Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said they “continue to monitor the weather forecast closely”.
Former MOD research scientist and bomb disposal engineer Mr Miller told The Sun the most important aspect that determines whether a display can go ahead in full is wind speed.
And it could be wind speed – coupled with rain – that forces the most spectacular fireworks in London’s display off.
He said if the wind in London gets “particularly strong” then organisers would have to “cut down on the major effects”.
“They’re the ones that are going to be the major hazards,” he continued.
“They’re the most spectacular but they’re the most dangerous because there’s a bigger bang and projection of fragmentation. If there is a risk you cut out the bigger fireworks.”
In terms of whether heavy rain is likely to have an impact, he said: “It would have to be absolutely torrential.”
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