Christmas Travelers Face Gusty Conditions Ahead

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Weather warnings for strong winds have been issued in parts of the UK as millions of people travel ahead of Christmas. The RAC has warned that this could be the busiest weekend of travel of the year, and is urging drivers to be patient.

The Met Office has forecast gusts of up to 80mph in the far north of Scotland, with winds of 50-60mph further south. A yellow warning came into force at 07:00 GMT on Saturday and will last until 21:00 GMT on Sunday for Scotland, North West and North East England, and parts of Wales and Northern Ireland.

The area covered by the warning is expected to widen on Sunday to include South West England, Derbyshire, Hampshire, parts of the West Midlands and Yorkshire, and all of Wales and Northern Ireland. The Met Office has warned that “dangerous coastal conditions” can be expected, with large waves posing an additional hazard.

Transport Scotland has said that road, rail, air, and ferry services are likely to be affected by the conditions, with cancellations and restrictions on bridges possible. ScotRail has reported speed restrictions in place across some routes, causing delays of up to 30 minutes or timetable revisions.

The RAC has predicted that nearly 14 million drivers will take to the roads during the weekend, a new record according to their estimates. They have identified several congestion hotspots, including:

• Both directions of the M1 to Gatwick via the M25 and the M23

• Liverpool to Chester on the M53

• Oxford to the south coast via the A34 and the M3

• The M25 to the south coast along the M3

• The Taunton to Almondsbury Interchange in Bristol heading down the M5

The winds are expected to ease by Monday, but it is unlikely that there will be a white Christmas, according to Met Office meteorologist Alex Deakin. Instead, the UK can expect a “grey Christmas” with cloud and rain moving in.

Away from the roads, rail closures have begun over the festive period, including a section of the Midland Main line between London St Pancras and Bedford until 29 December. Engineering works will also impact other stations over Christmas, including Paddington and Liverpool Street in London, as well as in Cambridge and Crewe areas.

The Rail Delivery Group has explained that many trains are cancelled during this period for essential engineering works and upgrades to improve services and reliability. The group’s director, Robert Nisbet, said: “We hold up our hands and acknowledge that the reliability of services is not where we want it to be across the network… But in many cases, it is because of the infrastructure.