New Year's Eve events cancelled as UK braces for heavy winds and rain
Some events to welcome in the New Year have been cancelled across the UK because of weather warnings, as ITV News' Peter Smith and John Ray report
New Year's Eve events across the UK have been cancelled as the country prepares for heavy wind and rain heading into 2025.
Public celebrations in Edinburgh, Blackpool, Newcastle and the Isle of Wight have been called off as almost every part of the UK faces at least one Met Office weather warning between Monday and Wednesday.
However, London mayor Sadiq Khan confirmed the capitals New Year’s Eve fireworks event will go ahead at midnight.
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.
It 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.
Forecasters said strong winds reaching speeds of up to 70mph in parts of England and Northern Ireland are "likely" to cause delays to all types of transport on New Year’s Eve.
The Met Office also warned “blizzard conditions are possible”, especially in the far northern regions of Sutherland and Caithness.
“It will be a tricky couple of days and a wet and windy spell for many up into the new year," Met Office meteorologist Craig Snell said.
“We’re encouraging anyone who is planning to travel to keep up to date with the weather forecast and news from their local authorities.”
Scotland
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay street party and fireworks display were cancelled on Monday due to rain and snow warnings across Scotland.
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay organisers have apologised to international tourists who travelled to the city for the street party and midnight fireworks.
An Indian tourist who travelled with his wife and four children to Edinburgh for the celebrations told Good Morning Britain they were “very disappointed”.
A yellow warning for snow and rain is in place until 4am in the Highlands and Moray, meanwhile a yellow warning for snow is in place until midnight in Orkney and Shetland.
There are additional warnings of “blizzard conditions" in the far northern regions of Sutherland and Caithness.
The Met Office said: “North and east of (and including) Perthshire, precipitation is likely to fall as snow, especially over high ground, with 10-20cm accumulating above 150-200 metres, with several centimetres accumulating at lower elevations away from windward coasts.
“As milder air pushes in, snow will turn back to rain, and any rapid snow melt will contribute to flooding in places.
London
London's mayor Sadiq Khan confirmed the firework display will go ahead at midnight despite weather concerns across the UK.
Speaking to PA news agency, he said: “I’m really excited about the London New Year’s Eve fireworks, the biggest fireworks taking place anywhere across Europe.
“Hundreds of thousands of fireworks, great light display but also a great soundtrack tonight as well.”
North West England
The fireworks display in Blackpool has been cancelled because of expected high winds.
The Visit Blackpool website confirmed that the rest of the New Year’s Eve family party will go ahead, including a projection show on the tower to welcome 2025.
It said: "Due to the forecast of high winds, we have had to make the tough decision to cancel the fireworks display this year."
A 24-hour yellow warning for rain will come into force for much of the north-west of England from 6pm on Tuesday.
North East England
In the North East of England, fireworks on Newcastle’s Quayside and Market Square in Ripon have been cancelled.
Newcastle City Council announced on Tuesday that it has cancelled its New Year’s Eve event to ensure the safety of staff and spectators, with strong winds and a yellow weather warning forecast.
South East England
The Sandown Carnival's New Year's Day celebrations on the Isle of Wight have also been cancelled.
The organisers said the firework display would be rescheduled for later in 2025.
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How does the weather look for the start of 2025?
The new year will be off to a turbulent start with separate weather warnings in place for wind and rain on January 1.
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.
An amber weather warning for heavy rain is in place until 9am on New Year's Day in areas in the East Midlands, North West and Yorkshire.
A separate yellow warning for rain is in place for parts of Yorkshire, the West Midlands, Wales, the North West, and the East Midlands.
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